Het Verband tussen Mastery en Depressieve Klachten bij Middelbare Scholieren en de Invloed van Perfectionisme

Abstract

Background. Feelings of depression among young people are an increasingly common phenomenon. This has negative consequences for young people and society. Preventive measures are therefore important, together with good treatments for depression. Perfectionism and mastery are an important risk and protective factor of depression and these factors are also interrelated. Because perfectionism is both an important risk factor for depression and is related to mastery, perfectionism may act as a mediator and thus help to explain the relationship between mastery and depressive symptoms. Aim. Current research studies whether there’s a relationship between mastery and depressive symtpoms and the influence of perfectionism on this relationship. Method. To answer the research question, several questionnaires were carried out among young people between 11 and 15 years old: the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI-2), Pearlin Mastery Scale (PMS) and Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (FMPS). Hereafter, a mediation analysis was done among the 667 suitable participants. Results. The results showed a negative relationship between mastery and depressive symptoms which was partly explained by the mediator perfectionism. In addition, higher degree of mastery, and therefore control over your own life, in itself causes a lower degree of depressive symptoms. Conclusion. The results indicate that control over your own life causes a lower degree of perfectionism and depressive symptom. This has positive consequences for society, because it can help to set up preventive measures and treatments against depressive symptoms. Future search could focus on these implications.