Perfectionism, Family Climate and Emotion Regulation in Childhood

Perfectionism, a personality construct marked by the pursuit of highly demanding expec-tations for achievement, can encompass both adaptive and maladaptive facets, affecting individuals’ well-being. Studies with adults have shown that the family climate (i.e., family cohesion, parental control, parenting style) and the strategies used to regulate emotions (i.e., cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) can influence their tendency to perfectionism. However, research focusing on children’s tendency to perfectionism is quite limited. The present study examines associations among children’s perceptions of the family climate, emotion regulation and perfectionism. The participants were 191 children (94 boys, Mage=11.27 years, sd = .97) who completed the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, the Family Environment Scale and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire for Children and Adolescence. Results showed that children’s perceptions of the family climate and emotion regulation were significant factors in predicting tendency to perfectionism. Specifically, parental control, achievement family orientation, emphasis to morality and expressive suppression could moderately predict children’s tendency to perfectionism. These findings are important as they enrich our understanding on childhood perfectionism and can be used in programs focusing on family and children support or counselling.