Unhealthy perfectionism, negative beliefs about emotions, emotional suppression, and depression in students: A mediational analysis

- Unhealthy perfectionism in students was correlated with emotion suppression.
- General perfectionism was also associated with unhelpful beliefs about emotions.
- Beliefs about emotions mediated the relationship between perfectionism and emotion suppression.
- Emotion suppression mediated the relationship between unhealthy perfectionism and depressive symptomatology.
- Unhealthy emotional beliefs and emotional suppression may need targeting in perfectionism and depression interventions.

IntroductionLiterature suggests individuals who exhibit unhealthy perfectionist traits are more likely to be characterised by unhelpful emotion coping responses. The present study aims to explore negative beliefs about emotions as a mediator between unhealthy perfectionism and emotional suppression, and whether emotional suppression mediated the association between unhealthy perfectionism and depression.MethodA cross-sectional online self-report questionnaire was administered to students (n = 641), which assessed perfectionism, unhelpful beliefs about emotions, emotional suppression and depressive symptomatology.ResultsBootstrapping analyses suggested that beliefs about emotions mediated the relationship between unhealthy perfectionism and emotional suppression. Further analysis indicated that emotional suppression mediated the relationship between unhealthy perfectionism and symptoms of depression.ConclusionIt may be important for professionals treating people with depression or other psychological problems characterised by perfectionism, to ensure that therapy targets beliefs about emotions and emotional suppression.