Prediction of Negative Perfectionism Based on Negativity/Pessimism and Emotional Inhibition Schemas: A Cross-Sectional Study with the Mediating Role of Rumination in Students
| Author | Mehrnoosh Samandar | en |
| Author | Farideh Hosseinsabet | en |
| Author | Ahmad Borjali | en |
| Author | Zahra Sadat Nourbakhsh | en |
| Orcid | Mehrnoosh Samandar [0009-0005-4254-9389] | en |
| Orcid | Farideh Hosseinsabet [0000-0001-6731-2955] | en |
| Orcid | Ahmad Borjali [0000-0001-6823-7600] | en |
| Orcid | Zahra Sadat Nourbakhsh [0009-0004-2172-8954] | en |
| Issued Date | 2026-06-30 | en |
| Abstract | Background: Negative perfectionism is associated with psychological problems such as anxiety and depression. According to schema theory, early maladaptive schemas, such as negativity/pessimism and emotional inhibition, may contribute to perfectionistic tendencies. Rumination, defined as a repetitive focus on distress, may mediate this relationship. However, research examining these associations among Iranian students remains limited. Objectives: This study aimed to predict negative perfectionism based on negativity/pessimism and emotional inhibition schemas, with rumination as a mediator, among students in Tehran during the 2023 - 2024 academic year. Methods: This descriptive-correlational study included university students in Tehran during the 2023 - 2024 academic year. In total, 379 students were selected using convenience sampling. Eligibility criteria included enrollment at a university in Tehran and a moderate-to-high level of negative perfectionism, defined as a score of 69 or higher on the negative perfectionism subscale of the Positive and Negative Perfectionism Scale by Terry-Short. The Young Schema Questionnaire-Short Form, Third Edition; the Positive and Negative Perfectionism Scale by Terry-Short; and the Ruminative Responses Scale by Nolen-Hoeksema and Morrow were used. Data were analyzed using SPSS and AMOS with structural equation modeling. Results: The findings indicated that the direct effects of the negativity/pessimism and emotional inhibition schemas on negative perfectionism were significant (β = 0.36, P = 0.001; β = 0.39, P = 0.001). In addition, the indirect effects of these schemas on negative perfectionism via rumination were significant (β = 0.07, P < 0.05; β = 0.08, P < 0.05). These results suggest that reducing the negativity/pessimism and emotional inhibition schemas, as well as rumination, may decrease students' negative perfectionism. Conclusions: Negative perfectionism is a psychological vulnerability that may be influenced or exacerbated by negativity/pessimism and emotional inhibition schemas. Moreover, individuals with these schemas and negative perfectionism tend to engage in persistent cognitive processing, or rumination, about avoiding intimate relationships, suppressing emotions, maintaining excessive expectations, and experiencing an unusual fear of failure. However, these findings should be interpreted cautiously because the questionnaires were administered online, and limited information was available about participants' emotional or psychological conditions. In addition, the results may not be generalizable beyond the student population studied. | en |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.5812/ijpbs-162137 | en |
| URI | https://brieflands.com/journals/ijpbs/articles/162137 | en |
| Keyword | Emotion Regulation | en |
| Keyword | Perfectionism | en |
| Keyword | Pessimism | en |
| Keyword | Rumination | en |
| Keyword | Cognitive Schema Therapy | en |
| Keyword | Students | en |
| Publisher | Brieflands | en |
| Title | Prediction of Negative Perfectionism Based on Negativity/Pessimism and Emotional Inhibition Schemas: A Cross-Sectional Study with the Mediating Role of Rumination in Students | en |
| Type | Research Article | en |