The relationship between coping, dimensions of perfectionism, perceived intensity of life events and depressive symptoms in Boğaziçi University students: "a test of cognitive model of depression"

Abstract

This study investigated the direct or indirect effect of and association between coping in terms of styles and strategies, and perfectionism on the relationship between the perceived intensity of life events in terms of their stressfulness and depressive symptoms; as well as investigating the different categories of depressive symptoms in terms of perceived intensity of life events, coping styles and strategies, and perfectionism dimensions among Boğaziçi University undergraduate students. The five variables of this study were: perceived intensity of life events in terms of their stressfulness, coping styles, coping strategies, perfectionism and depressive symptoms. Six instruments were used for data collection: Demographic Information Form (DIF), Life Events Inventory for University Students (LEIU), Coping Styles Inventory (CSI), Rosenbaum's Learned Resourcefulness Schedule (RÖGÖ), Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (MPS), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDE). Data analysis was done through SPSS and Structural Equation Modeling, in AMOS software statistics program. The results showed that coping styles, coping strategies and perfectionism by themselves did not have a significant effect on the relationship between perceived intensity of life events and depressive symptoms. However, when both coping styles and strategies and perfectionism are entered into the model, perfectionism acted as a mediator and caused coping, in terms of styles (β= -.46, p<.001) and strategies (β= -.23, p<.001), to have a significant effect on the relationship. The results also showed that coping styles accounted for 21% of depressive symptoms whereas coping strategies accounted for only 5% of depressive symptoms. In addition, a difference still existed between those showing no depressive symptoms and those in different categories of depressive symptoms according to all the variables of this study.