Relationship between neurotic perfectionism, depression, anxiety, and psychosomatic symptoms: a prospective study among Japanese men

The adverse effects of neurotic perfectionism on various psychological problems have received increasing attention in recent years. The majority of previous studies utilized a cross-sectional design that prevented causal inferences from being made, and thus, the present study examined the relationship between neurotic perfectionism and depression, anxiety, and psychosomatic symptoms using a prospective approach. The Burns Perfectionism Scale, and the Depression, Anxiety and Somatization subscales of the Hopkins Symptom Checklist were administered to 138 Japanese male college students. Each subject participated in two sessions that were separated by a 6-week interval. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted. Results indicated that neurotic perfectionism was a significant predictor of both subsequent depression and psychosomatic symptoms. Contrary to expectations, no relationship was found between neurotic perfectionism and anxiety. The influence of Japanese culture on the development of neurotic perfectionism is discussed.