The Influence of Perfectionism, Self-Esteem and Resilience on Young People's Mental Health

The current study explored whether maladaptive perfectionism and low self-esteem constituted reliable risk factors of student mental illness, as well as determining whether resilience moderates these predictive relationships. 434 University undergraduate students were recruited. Depression and anxiety were measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD-7). Perfectionism, self-esteem and resilience were analyzed in relation to the PHQ9 and GAD-7 scores via a regression analysis. Perfectionism discrepancy, self-esteem and resilience all significantly predicted depression and anxiety. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed a statistically significant amount of additional variance to be explained by resilience for depression and anxiety, than for perfectionism and self-esteem alone. Maladaptive perfectionism and low self-esteem predispose an individual to depression and anxiety, though resilience may act as a protective factor against development of mental illness.

Automated summary

This study explored the relationship between maladaptive perfectionism, low self-esteem, and student mental illness, as well as the moderating role of resilience. The findings showed that maladaptive perfectionism, low self-esteem, and resilience significantly predicted depression and anxiety. Additionally, resilience was found to have a stronger effect on explaining the variance in depression and anxiety compared to perfectionism and self-esteem alone. These results suggest that maladaptive perfectionism and low self-esteem are risk factors for depression and anxiety, while resilience acts as a protective factor against the development of mental illness.