Perfectionism, Shame, and Depressive Symptoms

The authors examined the relationship between depression, maladaptive perfectionism, and shame. Regression analyses were used to replicate a model in which maladaptive perfectionism was negatively associated with self-esteem and positively associated with symptoms of depression, with self-esteem mediating the effects of maladaptive perfectionism on depressive symptoms. Additional models showed that the path from maladaptive perfectionism to depression was partially mediated by shame, although these paths differed for men and women.