Interactive effect of perfectionism dimensions on depressive symptoms: A reply to Gaudreau and Thompson (2010)

Gaudreau and Thompson (2010) provided a 2 × 2 model of perfectionism that focuses on the interactive effect of two dimensions of perfectionism – personal standards perfectionism (PSP) and evaluative concerns perfectionism (ECP) – and distinguishes four sub-types of perfectionism. They evidenced an interactive effect of PSP and ECP on general negative effect, i.e., the effect of ECP is reduced when PSP is high. They also hypothesized a similar effect on a measure of psychopathology. We respond to Gaudreau and Thompson (2010) by testing this interactive effect on depressive symptoms. Analyses of data from a student sample (N = 338) failed to evidence an interactive effect of PSP and ECP on depressive symptoms. ECP was positively associated with depressive symptoms while a mild negative correlation between PSP and depression was observed. Although our results do not fully support Gaudreau and Thompson’s 2 × 2 model, they suggest that some of the sub-types they proposed are relevant for predicting depressive symptoms.