Perseverative negative thinking prospectively mediates the relationship between perfectionism and psychological distress

Introduction We have recently found that Perfectionism and Perseverative Negative are both correlates of psychological distress/PD and that PNT mediates the relationship between perfectionism and PD (Macedo et al., 2015). Objectives To investigate if perfectionism and PNT are prospectively associated to PD and if PNT is a longitudinal mediator between perfectionism and PD, controlling for perceived stress and gender. Methods A total of 227 university students (80.1% girls) filled in the Portuguese validated versions of Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire (PTQ), Multidimensional Perfectionism Cognitions Inventory (MPCI), Profile of Mood States and Perceived Stress Scale, with an additional item to evaluate perceived social support/PSS at T0 and after approximately one year (T1) (Mean months = 12.77 ± 1.137). Only variables significantly correlated with the outcomes (Tension/Anxiety at T1 and Depression at T1) were entered in the conditional process analysis. The moderating role of perceived support on the link between Concern over Mistakes (MPCI) and psychological distress and between PTQ total score and psychological distress (anxiety and depression separately) was examined via conditional process analyses. Results The estimated models were significant ( F  = 4.257, P  = .002; F  = 6.476, P Conclusion PNT prospectively mediates the relationship between negative perfectionism and PD.