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Social Disconnection and Hazardous Drinking Mediate the Link Between Perfectionistic Attitudes and Depressive Symptoms

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Abstract

According to the perfectionism social disconnection model (PSDM), perfectionism leads to social disconnection (e.g., isolation, loneliness, and alienation) which brings about depressive symptoms. The present study extended the PSDM by testing a dual-pathway mediation model wherein social disconnection and hazardous drinking were hypothesized to explain why perfectionistic attitudes (e.g., intense self-criticism, evaluative concerns, and unrealistic goal-setting) result in depressive symptoms. A sample of 216 college students participated. The present study utilized a cross-sectional design and self-report questionnaires. The hypothesized model fit the data well, with social disconnection and hazardous drinking mediating the perfectionistic attitudes-depressive symptoms link. Students high in perfectionistic attitudes report feeling isolated, lonely, and alienated. To escape this powerful sense of not belonging, these students turn to alcohol in a self-destructive way. Suffering from the ill effects of social disconnection and hazardous drinking, students high in perfectionistic attitudes are vulnerable to depressive symptoms.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by grant 410-2000-1102 from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (P. L. Hewitt), the H. J. Eysenck Memorial Fund Award (S. B. Sherry), and a Killam Research Professorship from the Faculty of Science at Dalhousie University (S. H. Stewart). Sarah Doucette, Nikola Hartling, and Shawnda Lanting are thanked for their research assistance.

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  1. Department of Psychology and Psychiatry, Life Sciences Centre, Dalhousie University, 1355 Oxford Street, PO BOX 15000, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H4R2, Canada

    Simon B. Sherry & Sherry H. Stewart

  2. Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

    Paul L. Hewitt

  3. Department of Psychology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

    Anna L. Mackinnon & Aislin R. Mushquash

  4. Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Gordon L. Flett

  5. Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

    Dayna L. Sherry

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  1. Simon B. Sherry
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Sherry, S.B., Hewitt, P.L., Stewart, S.H. et al. Social Disconnection and Hazardous Drinking Mediate the Link Between Perfectionistic Attitudes and Depressive Symptoms. J Psychopathol Behav Assess 34, 370–381 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-012-9291-8

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