Perfect Imperfections: Locus of Control, Perfectionism, and Postpartum Depression

Lauren C. Jackman, Einar B. Thorsteinsson and Dominic G. McNeil

SAGE Open, 2017, vol. 7, issue 2, 2158244017710689

Abstract: We examined whether locus of control (LOC) moderates the apparent relationship between perfectionism and postpartum depression (PPD). It was predicted that external LOC would moderate the relationship between self-oriented perfectionism and PPD, and socially prescribed perfectionism and PPD. A sample of 243 women completed an online self-report questionnaire assessing perfectionism, LOC, and PPD. Self-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism were significantly associated with PPD. Increased personal loci of control (i.e., low external LOC and high internal LOC) moderated (strengthened) the relationship between perfectionism and PPD. LOC may be an important concept and one of the underlying factors at work in the perfectionism–PPD relationship. This outcome may be attributed to the self-directed nature of self-oriented perfectionists.

Keywords: perfectionism; locus of control; postpartum depression; socially prescribed; self-orientated (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2158244017710689 (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:sagope:v:7:y:2017:i:2:p:2158244017710689

DOI: 10.1177/2158244017710689

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in SAGE Open
Bibliographic data for series maintained by SAGE Publications ().