Personal and Familial Aspects of Perfectionism in Latino/a Students

This study investigated the relevance of both personal and familial aspects of perfectionism for Latino college students. The participants were 207 Latino college students (76% women, 24% men; M age = 21.13 years). Psychometric evaluations of the Almost Perfect Scale–Revised (APS-R) and Family Almost Perfect Scale (FAPS) provide promising support of their cultural validity for Latino students. Patterns of how personal and family dimensions of perfectionism associate with psychological measures of depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and self-esteem generally replicated past studies with other cultural groups. Participants in the study were classified into three different types of perfectionists as well as three perceived types of perfectionistic families. These groups were compared on the psychological indicators of depression, anxiety, and self-esteem (η² =.06-.19). Counseling and cultural implications for Latino students with the focus on positive and negative aspects of perfectionism as well as future research directions are discussed.