2095 – The Portuguese Frost Mutidimensional Perfectionism Scale And Mood States In Portuguese College Students

Abstract

Introduction

Perfectionism has been a topic of increased interest in recent years. Findings from the literature have shown that perfectionism is associated in the development and maintenance of a wide range of psychopathological conditions.

Objectives/aims

1. 1) to analyze the psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (FMPS);

2. 2) to explore the associations between perfectionism dimensions and positive/negative affectivity.

Methods

217 students from two Portuguese Universities filled in the FMPS and the Profile of Mood States (POMS). A subgroup (n=166) completed a retest of the FMPS with a four weeks interval.

Results

Scale reliability was good (Cronbach alpha = .857). Corrected item-total correlations ranged from .019 and .548, and were higher than .2 for most of the items. Test-retest reliability suggested a good temporal stability for FMPS total score (r=.765). A principal component analysis with Varimax rotation was performed and based on Scree plot, two robust factorial structures were suggested (four and six factors). The more maladaptive dimensions of perfectionism were significantly and positively associated with negative affect and negatively associated with positive affect. Depression and anxiety/hostility dimensions are both positively associated with concern over mistakes (respectively, r=.338, r=.360, p< .01), parental criticism (respectively, r=.180, r=.254, p< .01) and doubts about actions (respectively, r=.312, r=.189, p< .01). An unexpected result was the positive association with personal standards dimension (respectively, r=.178, p< .05; r=.204, p< .01).

Conclusions

The Portuguese version of FMPS showed good reliability and internal consistency. The perfectionism personality trait is associated with mood states.