| Abstract: | 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) |
