An Exploration of Meaning in Life as a Potential Mediator of the Relationship Between Clinical Perfectionism and Eating Disorder Symptoms

Wessels, Doreen (2022) An Exploration of Meaning in Life as a Potential Mediator of the Relationship Between Clinical Perfectionism and Eating Disorder Symptoms. Bachelor thesis, Psychology.

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Abstract

The literature identified perfectionism as a crucial transdiagnostic factor contributing to the development of eating disorder symptoms. However, this link seems more complex and might be influenced by third variables. Meaning in life was suggested to be linked to clinical perfectionism and eating disorder symptoms, but there is very limited research on this topic. Consequently, this study aims to investigate whether clinical perfectionism is positively associated with eating disorder symptoms and if this relationship is mediated by the extent to which a person experiences meaning in life (presence and search of meaning). We conducted a cross-sectional study in a large community sample (N = 357) and administered the EDE-Q, the MLQ, and the CPQ, to test our hypothesis. First, we found support for a significant association between clinical perfectionism and eating disorder symptoms. Whereas global meaning in life did not function as a mediator, we found evidence of a partial mediation effect of presence, and search of meaning in life, respectively. Our results indicated opposing influences of presence and search of meaning in life regarding the mediating effect. We conclude that higher levels of clinical perfectionism are related to higher levels of eating disorder symptoms, and part of this relationship seems to be explained by lower levels of presence and higher levels of search of meaning in life. The findings demonstrate that presence and search of meaning in life are relevant factors uniquely related to eating disorder symptoms, and emphasize the need to research this association, further.

Item Type:	Thesis (Bachelor)
Supervisor name:	Frey, M.I.
Degree programme:	Psychology
Differentiation route:	None [Bachelor Psychology]
Date Deposited:	14 Jul 2022 07:18
Last Modified:	14 Jul 2022 07:18
URI:	http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/928

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