Investigating the relationship between emotion regulation and perfectionism in university students

Perfectionism is a common issue among university students, often characterised by overly high personal standards and self-criticism. Compared to the outcomes and characteristics of maladaptive perfectionism, such as increased anxiety and stress, aspects associated with its development and endurance have not been thoroughly investigated or understood. Emotion dysregulation, which refers to challenges in regulating and managing emotions effectively, has been discussed in relation to perfectionism. This study therefore investigated the association between perfectionism and emotion regulation difficulties. A sample of 203 university students completed an online self-report questionnaire assessing perfectionism with the FMPS-B and emotion regulation difficulties with the DERS-16. In line with previous studies, correlation analysis indicated a significant positive relationship between emotion regulation difficulties and perfectionism. Additionally, regression analyses identified emotion regulation difficulties and age as variables associated with perfectionism. Future studies should consider examining additional factors linked to perfectionism, as well as the specific dimensions of emotion regulation difficulties that may be related to perfectionism.