The mediating role of repetitive negative thinking in relationship between negative perfectionism and severity of anxiety symptoms

Abstract

Background: Anxiety disorders which influence physical and psychological strength and the quality of individual and social life are afflicting great numbers of people both in the modern developed societies and in underdeveloped ones. As two cases of transdiagnostic factors influencing a wide range of psychological disorders, especially anxiety disorders, repetitive thinking (RT) and perfectionism are now receiving greater attention from psychologists and psychotherapists. Objectives: The current study was an attempt to investigate the mediating role of RT in predicting the relationship between perfectionism and severity of anxiety. Materials and Methods: For this purpose, 385 students of Azerbaijan Shahid Madani University were selected using cluster randomsampling and evaluated through the three inventories of depression and anxiety symptoms, repetitive thinking questionnaire (RTQ) and perfectionism questionnaires in 2015. Data were analyzed using SPSS software and hierarchical regression analysis. Results: Findings suggested that there were correlations among three variables of perfectionism, RT and anxiety; results also revealed that RT played a significant mediating role in predicting the relationship between perfectionism and anxiety. Conclusions: These findings canbeaneffective step toward designing plans to prevent different emotional disordersandtreatment protocols.