Perfectionism and internalized symptoms in university students: the mediating and moderating role of perceived social support

Psychological health among students was an important issue even before the Covid-19 crisis. University students are exposed to high levels of psychological stress. Among the dimensions studied with student psychological well-being, perfectionism is increasingly explored in the literature. While perfectionism can be adaptive, it can also be a source of vulnerability to stress when expectations and aspirations exceed the student's resources. Furthermore, the literature has repeatedly shown the role of social support in good psychological health. The present study investigates the mediating and moderating effects of social support on the relationship between perfectionism (self-oriented and socially prescribed) and internalizing symptoms (anxiety and depression) in university students. Longitudinal data were collected at three measurement times among 60 undergraduate students from the University of Montreal. First, correlational analyses showed that socially prescribed perfectionism was related to anxiety symptoms at Time 1 and Time 3, as well as to depressive symptoms at Time 1. Second, perceived social support was negatively associated with anxiety and depressive symptoms. Linear regression analyses did not show that self-oriented perfectionism and socially prescribed perfectionism are associated with increased anxiety and depressive symptoms over time. Third, mediation analyses fail to show that social support mediates the relationship between perfectionism and students' internalized symptoms. Finally, moderation analyses fail to confirm the role of social support as a moderator of the relationship between perfectionism and symptoms of anxiety and depression.