Perfectionism and depressive symptoms: The effects of psychological detachment from work

Abstract

We examined the association of perfectionism with depressive symptoms and tested whether psychological detachment from work would both mediate and moderate the association. The participants were 76 primary school teachers (87% female) who responded to measures of perfectionism (Multidimensional Inventory on Perfectionism in Sports adapted for teachers), psychological detachment from work (The Recovery Experience Questionnaire), and depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory-II). Perfectionism comprised both adaptive and maladaptive dimensions. Adaptive perfectionism referred to striving for perfection, whereas maladaptive perfectionism involved negative reactions to imperfection and perceived pressure to be perfect. According to our results, negative reactions to imperfection were associated with higher depressive symptoms, and lower level of psychological detachment from work played a minor mediating role in the association. There was, however, no association between negative reactions to imperfection and higher depressive symptoms when detachment from work was high. Our findings suggest that striving for perfection and perceived pressure to be perfect might not contribute to depressive symptoms in teaching. Instead, teachers experiencing negative reactions to imperfection and low psychological detachment from work could be at risk for developing depressive symptoms. Finding ways to psychologically detach from work can benefit teachers characterized by negative reactions to imperfection.

The relentless pursuit of perfectionism: A review of perfectionism in the workplace and an agenda for future research

“…One set of key findings regarding the influence of perfectionism on job attitudes is that perfectionistic concerns are more strongly related to negative job attitudes such as dissatisfaction (Fairlie & Flett, ; Hochwarter & Byrne, ; Mitchelson & Burns, ; Price, ), psychological detachment from work (Gluschkoff et al, ), and reduced commitment (Bousman, ) than are perfectionistic strivings. These effects appear to be because individuals with high levels of perfectionistic concerns are unable to derive a real sense of accomplishment, which may heighten negative reactivity to tasks and events (Dunkley, Mandel, & Ma, ; Hewitt & Flett, ).…”

“…On the other hand, we note that some researchers (e.g., Caliskan, Arikan, & Saatchi, ; Corrigan, ; Fairlie, ) found the opposite effects, reporting that perfectionistic strivings positively correlate with exhaustion and cynicism. In addition, self‐oriented perfectionism has also yielded positive associations with performance anxiety (Kobori, Yoshie, Kudo, & Ohtsuki, ; Mor, Day, Flett, & Hewitt, ), stress (Matlon, ), low self‐esteem (Ogus, ), and depressive symptoms (Gluschkoff et al, ).…”

“…For example, there is evidence that rumination about work mediates the influence of perfectionistic concerns on emotional exhaustion (Flaxman et al, ). Interpersonal sensitivity (Mandel et al, ) and detachment from work (Gluschkoff et al, ) have been found to mediate the impact of perfectionistic concerns on depressive symptoms and interpersonal stress. Findings also support the mediating effects of daily hassles, coping, and social support on perfectionistic concerns and psychological distress linkage (Dunn et al, ).…”

Perils of perfectionistic concerns among teachers

“…In general, prior empirical investigations have demonstrated perfectionistic strivings as a positive and perfectionistic concerns as a negative form of perfectionism (Stoeber, 2018). Perfectionistic concerns have been strongly related to negative job attitudes such as dissatisfaction, burnout, reduced commitment, and detachment from work (Bousman, 2007; Fairlie & Flett, 2003; Gluschkoff et al, 2017). Perfectionistic strivings have been linked to desirable outcomes such as research productivity, innovative behavior, efficacy, and lower burnout (Chang, Chou, Liou, & Tu, 2016; Childs & Stoeber, 2010; Sherry, Hewitt, Sherry, Flett, & Graham, 2010).…”

“…However, perfectionistic strivings have not always been linked to positive outcomes, as some studies have reported the opposite pattern such as association with heightened burnout, anxiety, and depressive symptoms, (Childs & Stoeber, 2010; Kobori, Yoshie, Kudo, & Ohtsuki, 2011; Li, Hou, Chi, Liu, & Hager, 2014). In sum, some researchers argue that perfectionistic strivings are a beneficial and healthy form of perfectionism (Stoeber & Otto, 2006), but not all researchers agree (Flett & Hewitt, 2006; Gluschkoff et al, 2017). The notion that perfectionism includes positive and negative dimensions continues to be a source of debate among perfectionism researchers (Ocampo et al, 2019).…”