Chronic Stress and Attenuated Improvement in Depression Over 1 Year: The Moderating Role of Perfectionism

Are Perfectionism Dimensions Vulnerability Factors for Depressive Symptoms after Controlling for Neuroticism? A Meta–analysis of 10 Longitudinal Studies

“…Accumulated evidence suggests perfectionistic concerns exacerbate the effect of stress on depressive symptoms across clinical (Békés et al, ; Enns & Cox, ; Hewitt, Flett, & Ediger, ) and non‐clinical samples (Flett, Hewitt, Blankstein, & Mosher, ; Sherry, Gautreau, Mushquash, Sherry, & Allen, ). Likewise, prior research suggests perfectionistic concerns confer vulnerability to depressive symptoms through negative social situations (e.g.…”

“…romantic breakups) and daily hassles (Dunkley & Blankstein, ; Dunkley, Blankstein, Halsall, Williams, & Winkworth, ; Dunkley, Sanislow, Grilo, & McGlashan, ; Hewitt & Flett, ; Sherry et al, ). In contrast, perfectionistic strivings are inconsistent predictors of depressive symptoms, with some research suggesting they are vulnerability factors (Békés et al, ; Hewitt et al, ; Joiner & Schmidt, ), and other research suggesting they are resiliency factors (Enns et al, ). On the one hand, perfectionistic strivings confer vulnerability to depressive symptoms in the presence of ego‐involving achievement stressors (e.g.…”

“…anxiety, hostility, impulsivity and vulnerability) and is robustly predictive of numerous mental‐health problems (Lahey, ), including depressive symptoms (e.g. sadness, loneliness, anhedonia, apathy, hopelessness, helplessness and suicidal ideation; Békés et al, ; Graham et al, ). Given that neuroticism shares substantial variance with depressive symptoms, researchers have legitimately questioned whether lower‐order personality traits such as perfectionism predict depressive symptoms beyond higher‐order vulnerability factors such as neuroticism (Coyne & Whiffen, ; Enns & Cox, ; Enns, Cox, & Clara, ).…”

The role of change in self‐criticism across young adulthood in explaining developmental outcomes and psychological wellbeing

“…Personality development appears to accelerate during early adulthood, as evinced by pronounced increases in emotional stability, Conscientiousness, self‐control, self‐esteem, and, to a lesser degree, Agreeableness (Bleidorn, ; Orth, Robins, & Widaman, ; Roberts et al, ). Given that self‐criticism is a lower‐order personality characteristic that has much in common with Neuroticism (Békés et al, ; Smith et al, ), it is not unreasonable to postulate that it too might change over time (Mund & Neyer, ) toward the direction of lower self‐criticism. Although past research has effectively demonstrated the role of self‐criticism in the development and adaptation of young adults, it is also important to investigate how changes in self‐criticism might hold bearing on such outcomes.…”

“…Previous studies on personality development have focused on changes in personality traits such as negative emotionality or on the development of self‐esteem. Self‐criticism, the central personality construct of the current study, is not part of the Big Five but is a lower‐order personality characteristic or a personality facet that has much in common with Neuroticism (Békés et al, ; Smith et al, ). As such, similar to Neuroticism, it is reasonable to assume young adults should also decrease in self‐criticism and in self‐doubts.…”