Maladaptive perfectionism, daily hassles, and depressive symptoms among first-year college students in China

Objective: Attending college involves a stressful period of adaptation for many first-year college students. The aim of the current study was to better understand the relationship among maladaptive perfectionism, daily hassles, and depressive symptoms. Participants: The sample comprised 454 Chinese first-year college students. Methods: All participants completed a battery of questionnaires including the Almost Perfect Scale-Revised, the Chinese College Student Psychological Stress Scale, and the Beck Depression Inventory. Results: Conflicts with roommates, forming the bad habits, and difficulties in learning were the top three stressful daily hassles. Maladaptive perfectionism predicts daily hassles, which in turn predicts depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Maladaptive perfectionism asserts its effects on depressive symptoms of first-year college students experiencing minor events on a daily basis. Implications for school educators and counselors and directions of future research are also discussed.