Parent and youth perfectionism and internalizing psychopathology

Perfectionism is a multidimensional construct that has only recently received greater attention in parents and their children. Perfectionism is often shared among family members, and one developmental model indicates that anxious parents may help predispose perfectionism in youths. This study examined relationships between parent and youth perfectionism and between parent perfectionism and youth internalizing psychopathology among adolescents aged 11–17 years. Both relationships were examined for mediation by parent internalizing psychopathology. Maternal perfectionism was found related to sons’ self-oriented perfectionism and internalizing psychopathology. Maternal self-oriented perfectionism was most closely related to sons’ self-oriented perfectionism, but maternal socially prescribed perfectionism was most closely (and inversely) related to sons’ internalizing psychopathology. Maternal obsessive compulsive symptoms also mediated the relationship between mothers’ and sons’ self-oriented perfectionism. Several possible pathways between parent and child perfectionism are discussed, including information transfer, modeling, and excessive control.