Perfectionism and bulimic symptoms in African American college women: Dimensions of perfectionism and their interactions with perceived weight status.

This study had 2 primary aims: (a) to examine the unique relations between maladaptive and adaptive dimensions of perfectionism and bulimic symptoms and (b) to test an interactive model of perfectionism and perceived weight status for bulimic symptoms in a sample of African American female undergraduates. The sample consisted of 97 women at Time 1 and 70 women at Time 2 about 5 months later, with bulimic symptoms assessed at both time points. Results showed that maladaptive perfectionism, but not adaptive perfectionism, was uniquely related to bulimic symptoms in cross-sectional analyses. Tests of interaction effects indicated that maladaptive perfectionism interacted with perceived weight status to identify elevated bulimic symptoms such that women with high levels of maladaptive perfectionism who felt overweight exhibited the highest levels of bulimic symptoms, both concurrently and prospectively after controlling for Time 1 levels of bulimic symptoms. This study highlights the relevance of maladaptive perfectionism to bulimic symptoms in African American college women. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attachment style, gender, and relationship stability: A longitudinal analysis.

Examined adult attachment styles in 354 heterosexual couples in serious dating relationships. Principal findings included the following: (1) male and female attachment styles were nonrandomly paired, for example, no anxious–anxious or avoidant–avoidant pairs were found; (2) male and female styles related to concurrent relationship ratings of both partners in different but theoretically meaningful ways; (3) male and female styles contributed significantly to longitudinal prediction of relationship stability and status, even when prior duration and commitment to the relationship were statistically controlled; (4) specifically, relationships of avoidant men and of anxious women were surprisingly stable over 3 years, particularly in light of the relatively poor ratings of these relationships by both partners at Time 1. Discussion focuses on the need to integrate gender role considerations and relationship dynamics and processes into theorizing on adult attachment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Maladaptive perfectionism as an intervening variable between psychological control and adolescent depressive symptoms: A three-wave longitudinal study.

Maladaptive perfectionism has been postulated as an intervening variable between psychologically controlling parenting and adolescent internalizing problems. Although this hypothesis has been confirmed in a number of cross-sectional studies, it has not yet been examined from a longitudinal perspective. Findings from this 3-wave longitudinal study show that parental psychological control (as indexed by parent and adolescent reports) at age 15 years predicted increased levels of maladaptive perfectionism 1 year later. Maladaptive perfectionism, in turn, predicted increased levels of adolescent depressive symptoms again 1 year later and acted as a significant intervening variable between parental psychological control at Time 1 and depressive symptoms at Time 3. Multigroup analyses show that the model tested was consistent across gender for paternal psychological control but not for maternal psychological control. Suggestions for future research are outlined. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Romantic attachment in individuals with physical disabilities.

Objective: To examine the relationship between adult attachment style and physical disability in intimate romantic relationships. Method: Participants were 50 individuals with adult-onset spinal cord injuries (SCI) and 50 individuals with congenital disabilities (CON) living in the community. The main outcome measures were adult attachment style and dyadic relationship adjustment. Results: Participants with SCI and CON did not differ in rates of secure versus insecure attachment, and the rates of neither group differed significantly from rates reported for persons without disability. Dyadic adjustment was clearly predicted by attachment variables and differed between the participants with SCI and those with CON; individuals with SCI reported greater total dyadic adjustment. Avoidance showed a strong negative association with dyadic satisfaction, but no association was found with dyadic cohesion. Social participation variables were associated with dyadic adjustment. For instance, mobility was positively associated with dyadic satisfaction. Conclusions: Dyadic adjustment in people with disabilities, as in other groups, is affected by attachment style, but disability and social participation variables may also affect dyadic adjustment. Clinicians should consider differences in attachment styles among persons with disabilities and their implications for intimate close relationships. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perfectionism and relationship adjustment in pain patients and their spouses.

The authors assessed whether social facets of perfectionism were associated with indexes of dyadic and family adjustment. A sample of 83 pain patients and their spouses completed the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, Dyadic Adjustment Scale, Family Assessment Device, Beck Depression Inventory, and Multiaxial Pain Inventory. After controlling for depression, the authors found that pain patients' relationship adjustments were associated with their spouses' other-oriented perfectionism. Also, pain patients rated their other-oriented perfectionistic spouses as less supportive. Spouses' reports of poor dyadic and family adjustment were associated with their own socially prescribed perfectionism. The findings suggest that social aspects of perfectionism contribute to poor family adjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parental divorce, parent–child bonds, and adult attachment orientations among college students: A comparison of three racial/ethnic groups.

Despite evidence indicating that race/ethnicity and parental divorce may respectively affect perceptions of family and other intimate relationships, the conjoint influences of these sociodemographic variables on self-reports of both early (parent–child) and current (intimate adult) attachment relationships have not been investigated. In the present study, the authors examined (a) the contributions of parental marital status and race/ethnicity to scores on these measures and (b) the relative abilities of parental bonds to predict adult attachment orientations among students from different family backgrounds (i.e., intact and divorced) and from different racial/ethnic groups (i.e., White, Black, and Hispanic/Latino). Results indicated that race/ethnicity and parents' marital status had significant effects on the attachment measures, and that the extent to which parental bonds predicted adult attachment orientations varied among students with different family backgrounds and race/ethnicity. Implications of these findings to the conceptualization of college students' psychosocial development are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Group and personal attachments: Two is better than one when predicting college adjustment.

The current study applied Smith, Murphy, and Coates' (1999) group attachment measure to college adjustment using 109 college students. Prior researchers have found that adult dyadic attachment styles predicted college adjustment. This article is the first to explore the relationship between both group and dyadic attachment styles and college adjustment as measured by the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that personal attachment anxiety, not avoidance, accounted for the most variance in college adjustment. Group attachment avoidance also accounted for a significant amount of variance, above and beyond dyadic attachment styles, in the prediction of college adjustment. This study supports the importance of exploring both dyadic and group attachment styles in studying overall adjustment to the transition to college life. Implications of the findings for research and practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Preliminary development and validation of a measure of relationship authenticity.

The authors describe the preliminary development and validation of the Authenticity in Relationships Scale. An initial pool of 37 items addressing various elements of the proposed definition of "relationship authenticity" was administered to 2 independent samples of undergraduates (N = 487) who acknowledged being in a current romantic relationship. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed that 2 interpretable factors (Unacceptability of Deception, Intimate Risk Taking) effectively represented the data in both samples. Retest data over a 3-month interval were also gathered from a separate independent sample of 121 participants. Subscale scores composed of factor-unique items demonstrated good reliability and test-retest stability, correlated in expected directions with scores on several measures used to establish construct validity, and made unique contributions to the prediction of relationship satisfaction after gender, self-esteem, commitment level, and adult attachment orientations were controlled. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perfectionism and depression: Longitudinal assessment of a specific vulnerability hypothesis.

The authors tested whether perfectionism dimensions interact with specific stress to predict depression over time. A sample of 103 current and former patients completed measures of perfectionism and depression at Time 1 and measures of stress and depression 4 months later. After controlling for Time 1 depression, self-oriented perfectionism interacted only with achievement stress to predict Time 2 depression. Socially prescribed perfectionism did not interact with achievement or social stress to predict Time 2 depression, but it did predict Time 2 depression as a main effect. The results provide support for the contention that perfectionism dimensions are involved in vulnerability to depression over time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of midazolam in rat brain

The authors tested whether perfectionism dimensions interact with specific stress to predict depression over time. A sample of 103 current and former patients completed measures of perfectionism and depression at Time 1 and measures of stress and depression 4 months later. After controlling Time 1 depression, self-oriented perfectionism interacted only with achievement stress to predict Time 2 depression. Socially prescribed perfectionism did not interact with achievement or social stress to predict Time 2 depression, but it did predict Time 2 depression as a main effect. The results provide support for the contention that perfectionism dimensions are involved in vulnerability to depression over time.     

Perfectionism in chronic and state symptoms of depression.

Tested whether perfectionism dimensions uniquely predict chronic unipolar and chronic bipolar symptoms. A sample of 121 patients and former patients (mean age 46.1 yrs) completed the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, the General Behavior Inventory, and the Beck Depression Inventory. The results confirm that the perfectionism dimensions are related to chronicity of depression symptoms. Whereas self-oriented perfectionism was uniquely associated only with chronic unipolar symptoms, both socially prescribed and other-oriented perfectionism were uniquely associated with chronic bipolar symptoms. Importantly, these relationships remained significant after controlling for the effects of concurrent state depression. Finally, only socially prescribed perfectionism was uniquely associated with state depression. The results provide support for the position that perfectionism dimensions are important in both chronic. and state depression symptoms, but the perfectionism dimensions may differ in terms of their degree of association with various facets of depressive phenomena. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Individual differences in cross-sectional and 3-year longitudinal memory performance across the adult life span.

Reports individual differences analyses of performance on list and prose memory tasks for 250 men and 258 women (aged 55–84 yrs). Being retested, higher reasoning and vocabulary scores, and female gender predicted better prose recall and list recognition performance. For list recall, retest status, age, years of schooling, and gender, as well as reasoning and vocabulary, were reliable independent predictors. After 3 yrs, 106 men and 121 women returned for a retest. Analysis of individual differences in 3-yr performance indicated that, once Time 1 performance had been partialed, individual change could be predicted by age or reasoning, but neither variable uniquely accounted for change. Analysis of data of individuals who experienced considerable decline or improvement in 3-yr scores indicated that decline was consistently associated with advanced age. Ramifications for theoretical models in memory research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attachment at (not to) work: Applying attachment theory to explain individual behavior in organizations.

In this article, we report the results of 2 studies that were conducted to investigate whether adult attachment theory explains employee behavior at work. In the first study, we examined the structure of a measure of adult attachment and its relations with measures of trait affectivity and the Big Five. In the second study, we examined the relations between dimensions of attachment and emotion regulation behaviors, turnover intentions, and supervisory reports of counterproductive work behavior and organizational citizenship behavior. Results showed that anxiety and avoidance represent 2 higher order dimensions of attachment that predicted these criteria (except for counterproductive work behavior) after controlling for individual difference variables and organizational commitment. The implications of these results for the study of attachment at work are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Pregnancy decision making as a significant life event: A commitment approach.

A value-laden basis for commitment to goals and the behavioral and affective sequelae of commitment were examined in the context of a stressful life event. Fifty-seven women who were interviewed during a clinic visit for a pregnancy test (Time 1 [T1] ) subsequently received positive test results and were then interviewed 2 days later (Time 2 [T2]) and a month later (Time 3 [T3]). The intentionality and the meaning of the pregnancy were associated with self-reported commitment to the pregnancy at T1. In turn, commitment predicted affective states both prior to (T1) and shortly after (T2) receiving test results. Initial commitment also predicted decisions to continue versus to terminate the pregnancy. The decision to continue the pregnancy appeared to bolster self-reported commitment. Relatedly, those continuing the pregnancy reported smoking fewer cigarettes at T3 than at T1. For those aborting the pregnancy, commitment at T1 was negatively related to adjustment at T3. Initial commitment predicted subsequent depression, guilt, and hostility among those who aborted, whereas commitment predicted anxiety among those who continued the pregnancy. Other correlates of commitment (pregnancy concerns, religion, abortion history, and other lifegoals) were explored. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Religious commitment, adult attachment, and marital adjustment in newly married couples.

Existing literature on the role of religiosity in marital functioning is often difficult to interpret due to the frequent use of convenience samples, statistical approaches inadequate for interdependent dyadic data, and the lack of a theoretical framework. The current study examined the effects of religious commitment and insecure attachment on marital adjustment. Newly married couples who did not have children (N = 92 couples, 184 individuals) completed measures of religious commitment, adult attachment, and marital functioning. There was a small positive association between religious commitment and marital adjustment. Religious commitment buffered the negative association between attachment avoidance and marital adjustment, but exacerbated the negative association between attachment anxiety and marital adjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relative stability of dimensions of perfectionism in depression.

Investigated the degree of absolute change, affective state dependence, and relative trait stability of several dimensions of perfectionism assessed by two popular, multidimensional measures. The study sample was 105 adult outpatients from a university hospital mood disorders program who met diagnostic criteria for major depressive episode at Time 1 and did not meet criteria for major depressive episode one year later (Time 2). Mean total scores on the Beck Depression Inventory decreased by almost 50% (from 28 to 15). Absolute change on perfectionism indices was smaller but significant for some maladaptive dimensions. Correlational, regression, and path analyses all indicated the presence of affective state dependence for several maladaptive dimensions of perfectionism (e.g., concern over mistakes, socially prescribed perfectionism). However, in all cases strong evidence was also found for the enduring trait stability of these dimensions. The results support a state-trait conceptualization of maladaptive perfectionism dimensions, which denotes stable individual difference variables that are elevated in the depressive state. Adaptive aspects of perfectionism showed little or no evidence of affective state dependence, consistent with findings from other research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prorelationship maintenance behaviors: The joint roles of attachment and commitment.

The present research uses a behavioral observation methodology to examine emotional and behavioral reactions to threatening interpersonal situations in married couples. The research shows that although anxious attachment can hinder people’s tendencies to react constructively to threatening events, greater relationship commitment may serve as a buffer against the negative effects associated with attachment insecurities, diminishing feelings of rejection, enhancing feelings of acceptance, and promoting more constructive accommodation behaviors. The research also reveals that wives’ degree of relationship commitment has stronger effects on emotional outcomes for both partners than does husbands’ degree of commitment. Moreover, husbands’ and wives’ emotional reactions affect their own accommodative behaviors as well as their spouses’ behaviors. These dyadic findings are discussed in terms of attachment theory and interdependence theory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Intergenerational Transmission of Perfectionism: Parents' Psychological Control as an Intervening Variable.

The present study investigated the role of parental (adaptive and maladaptive) intrapersonal perfectionism as a predictor of parental psychological control and the role of parents' psychological control in the intergenerational transmission of perfectionism in a sample of female late adolescents and their parents. First, parental maladaptive perfectionism, but not parental adaptive perfectionism, significantly predicted parents' psychological control even when controlling for parents' neuroticism. This relationship was found to be stronger for fathers than for mothers. Second, a significant direct relationship was found between mothers' and daughters' maladaptive perfectionism but not between fathers' and daughters' maladaptive perfectionism. Third, process analyses showed that, for both mothers and fathers, psychological control is an intervening variable in the relationship between parents' and daughters' maladaptive perfectionism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adult attachment security and young adults’ dating relationships over time: Self-reported, observational, and physiological evidence.

This study examined the developmental significance of adult attachment security—as measured by the Adult Attachment Interview—for romantic relationship functioning concurrently and approximately 1 year later in a sample of heterosexual dating couples between the ages of 18 and 25 (115 dyads at Time 1 [T1] and 57 dyads at T2, 74% White). The authors assessed romantic relationship functioning at T1 and T2 using observers’ ratings of emotional tone during a laboratory conflict resolution task and via participants’ self-reports about their relationships, yielding evidence that adult attachment security prospectively predicted the observed and perceived quality of adults’ romantic relationships even after prior levels of interpersonal functioning were controlled. Measures of autonomic responding were also acquired during the interactions, replicating prior evidence that insecurity is concurrently associated with electrodermal reactivity in attachment-relevant contexts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationship quality of partners in heterosexual married, heterosexual cohabiting, and gay and lesbian relationships.

Studied the relationship quality of 44 married, 35 heterosexual cohabiting, 50 male homosexual, and 56 female homosexual monogamous couples. Each couple lived together and did not have children in the home. Relationship quality was dimensionalized as love for partner (LP), liking of partner, and relationship satisfaction (RS). Cohabiting partners had the lowest LP and RS scores on a questionnaire assessing relationship quality. Differences were found among partner types on barriers to leaving the relationship, alternatives to the relationship, a belief that mind reading is expected in the relationship, masculinity, femininity, androgyny, dyadic attachment, shared decision making, and perceived social support from family. The 4 groups did not differ in psychological adjustment. For each type of couple, LP was related to many barriers to leaving the relationship and high dyadic attachment; liking of partner was related to few alternatives to the relationship, high dyadic attachment, and high shared decision making; and RS was related to many attractions, few alternatives, few beliefs regarding the destructiveness of disagreement, high dyadic attachment, and high shared decision making. Results are discussed in the context of existing models of relationship quality. (57 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)