Perfectionism, psychological wellbeing, and maladaptive eating practices

The links between perfectionism and maladaptive eating practices are reasonably well established. However, little is understood about how or why these links occur. The aim of the current study was to investigate psychological wellbeing as a potential mediating variable in this relationship and to determine how gender differences impacted these variables. A sample of 67 males and 162 females completed the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (FMPS), the Ryff Psychological Wellbeing Scales (PWB), and the Maladaptive Eating Practices Questionnaire (MEPQ-25) among several questionnaires completed for a recent body image and eating disorders research project.Results indicated that females aged below 30 were more likely than males aged below 30 to engage in maladaptive eating practices. No gender differences were found in relation to perfectionism or psychological wellbeing. Additionally, psychological wellbeing was found to partially mediate the relationship between perfectionism and maladaptive eating practices for both males and females.These findings highlight the importance of targeting psychological wellbeing in the prevention and intervention of eating pathology, particularly in individuals who display perfectionistic qualities.