A model of personality and health : coping styles as a moderator in the perfectionism-health connection
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine a model of personality and health.
Specifically, this thesis examined perfectionism as a predictor of health status and health
behaviours, as moderated by coping styles. A community sample of 813 young adults
completed the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, the Coping Strategy Indicator, and
measures of health symptoms, health care utilization, and various health behaviours.
Multiple regression analyses revealed a number of significant findings. First,
perfectionism and coping styles contributed significant main effects in predicting health
status and health behaviours, although coping styles were not shown to moderate the
perfectionism-health relationship. The data showed that perfectionism did constitute a
health risk, both in terms of health status and health behaviours. Finally, an unexpected
finding was that perfectionism also included adaptive features related to health.
Specifically, some dimensions of perfectionism were also associated with reports of
better health status and involvement in some positive health behaviours.