Psychometric Properties of the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale in Spanish Children and Adolescents

Abstract

The Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (FMPS) is one of the most used instruments to assess perfectionism. The FMPS assesses six dimensions: Concern over Mistakes (CM), Parental Expectations (EP), Parental Criticism (PC), Doubts about Actions (DA), Organization (OR), and Personal Standards (PS). CM, PE, PC, and DA are facets of a more general dimension considered Maladaptive Perfectionism. PS is frequently considered Adaptive Perfectionism. FMPS psychometric properties have been studied in adults but scarcely in children. We adapted the FMPS for Spanish children and adolescents and studied these properties in a sample of 1,648 Spanish young people (mean age = 13.36; SD = 2.28). Multigroup confirmatory factor analyses were used to test whether the FMPS dimensions found in adults are applicable to children. Results supported this hypothesis. The FMPS dimensional structure was invariant across gender and age. FMPS subscales showed good internal consistency (Cronbach's α: .71-.92) and test-retest reliability (intraclass correlations: .70-.85). Moderate and high correlations with measures of dysfunctional beliefs, anxiety, and depression supported the validity of the FMPS scores. Results from regression equations showed that the relationship of perfectionism with anxiety and depression is mostly due to Maladaptive Perfectionism.

Factorial Validity and Factorial Invariance Across Gender of the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale-Chinese version in Undergraduates

“…While some studies have found no gender difference in perfectionism in college students (Leone & Wade, 2018; Reuther et al, 2013), the inconsistent results might be attributed to different sample sizes, and they have not calculated the effect sizes which might be more accurate to reflect the gender differences in perfectionism. Actually, our results were similar to Gavino’s finding in adolescents (Gavino et al, 2019), in which boys and girls scored differently on several FMPS subscales, but the effect sizes were low.…”

“…Regarding the gender differences in perfectionism, previous studies have yielded inconsistent results. Using FMPS, some studies have shown significant gender differences in perfectionism (Gavino et al, 2019; Morris & Lomax, 2014), where boys scored higher on FMPS total score than girls, while other studies have found no significant gender differences on FMPS total score (Leone & Wade, 2018; Reuther et al, 2013). Andersson et al (2005) found that women scored higher on several dimensions of FMPS (CM, PC and PE) than men, while other studies found no significant gender differences on dimensions of FMPS (Botha & Panebianco, 2018; Sotardi & Dubien, 2019).…”

Impostor Phenomenon and Psychological Well-Being: The Moderating Roles of John Henryism and School Racial Composition Among Black College Students

“…For Black samples, scholars have reported a Cronbach’s alpha of .88 for the Concern Over Mistakes subscale scores (Castro & Rice, 2003), which is consistent with the current study (sample α = .90). The multidimensional factor structure of the FMPS has been successfully replicated with diverse samples (e.g., Latinx; Gavino et al, 2019). The Concern Over Mistakes subscale has been found to positively correlate (e.g., r = .55) with other indicators of maladaptive perfectionism such as Discrepancy scores on the Almost Perfect Scale-Revised (Slaney et al, 2001), providing evidence for convergent validity (e.g., Sironic & Reeve, 2015).…”

Multidimensional perfectionism turns 30: A review of known knowns and known unknowns.

“…Finally, guided by Hollender's (1965) observation that perfectionists are "fussy, " Frost et al (1990) proposed a sixth dimension, termed organization, that involves an overemphasis on order, precision, and neatness. 2 Numerous studies support the reliability and validity of this widely utilized model (e.g., Gavino et al, 2019;Parker & Adkins, 1995). However, these studies suggest qualifications to Frost et al's (1990) model: Namely, parental expectations and parental criticism are developmental precursors of perfectionism as opposed to core features of perfectionism (Damian et al, 2013).…”