The Mediating Role of Ego Strength in the Relationship between Dimensions of Perfectionism and Depressive Symptoms

The aim of the present study was to investigate the mediating role of ego strength in the relationship between dimensions of perfectionism and depressive symptoms. The sample consisted of 268 students (144 females, 124 males) from the University of Tehran. All participants completed the Tehran Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (TMPS; Besharat, 2007), the Depression Anxiety Stress scales (DASS-21; Lavibond & Lavibond, 1995), and the Ego Strength Scale (ESS; Besharat, 2016). The results indicated that self-oriented perfectionism was negatively related to depressive symptoms and other-oriented/socially prescribed perfectionism was positively related to depressive symptoms. There was a significant negative relationship between ego strength and depressive symptoms. Ego strength mediated the relationship between dimensions of perfectionism and depressive symptoms. The findings suggested that the relationship between dimensions of perfectionism and depressive symptoms was not linear and unidimensional and ego strength played a mediating role in the relationship between the two.