A preview of this full-text is provided by American Psychological Association.
Content available from Journal of Family Psychology
This content is subject to copyright. Terms and conditions apply.
Caught in a Bad Romance:
Perfectionism, Conflict, and Depression in Romantic Relationships
Sean P. Mackinnon and Simon B. Sherry
Dalhousie University Martin M. Antony
Ryerson University
Sherry H. Stewart
Dalhousie University Dayna L. Sherry
Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre
Nikola Hartling
Saint Mary’s University
According to the social disconnection model, perfectionistic concerns (i.e., harsh self-scrutiny, extreme
concern over mistakes and others’ evaluations, and excessive reactions to perceived failures) confer
vulnerability to depressive symptoms indirectly through interpersonal problems. This study tested the
social disconnection model in 226 heterosexual romantic dyads using a mixed longitudinal and experi-
ence sampling design. Perfectionistic concerns were measured using three partner-specific self-report
questionnaires. Conflict was measured as a dyadic variable, incorporating reports from both partners.
Depressive symptoms were measured using a self-report questionnaire. Perfectionistic concerns and
depressive symptoms were measured at Day 1 and Day 28. Aggregated dyadic conflict was measured
with daily online questionnaires from Days 2 to 15. Data were analyzed using structural equation
modeling. There were four primary findings: (a) Dyadic conflict mediated the link between perfection-
istic concerns and depressive symptoms, even when controlling for baseline depressive symptoms; (b)
depressive symptoms were both an antecedent and a consequence of dyadic conflict; (c) perfectionistic
concerns incrementally predicted dyadic conflict and depressive symptoms beyond neuroticism (i.e., a
tendency to experience negative emotions) and other-oriented perfectionism (i.e., rigidly demanding
perfection from one’s partner); and (d) the relationships among variables did not differ based on gender.
As the most rigorous test of the social disconnection model to date, this study provides strong support
for this emerging model. Results also clarify the characterological and the interpersonal context within
which depressive symptoms are likely to occur.
Keywords: perfectionism, conflict, depression, dyads, longitudinal
Perfectionistic concerns and depressive symptoms are robustly
associated, but the mechanisms linking perfectionistic concerns to
depressive symptoms are not well understood. Clarifying such
mechanisms is important, as these mechanisms point toward as-
sessment and treatment targets. The social disconnection model
(e.g., Hewitt, Flett, Sherry, & Caelian, 2006; Sherry, Law, Hewitt,
Flett, & Besser, 2008) is an emerging theoretical framework clar-
ifying how perfectionistic concerns generate depressive symptoms
through negative social behaviors (e.g., conflictual interactions),
cognitions (e.g., perceiving others as uncaring), and outcomes
(e.g., romantic breakups). A distressing sense of social disconnec-
tion (i.e., conflict with and alienation from others) is thus seen as
central to the struggles of depressed perfectionists. According to
this model, perfectionistic concerns confer vulnerability for de-
This article was published Online First February 20, 2012.
Sean P. Mackinnon, Department of Psychology, Dalhousie Univer-
sity, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; Simon B. Sherry and Sherry H.
Stewart, Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry, Dalhousie Univer-
sity, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; Martin M. Antony, Department of
Psychology, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Dayna L.
Sherry, Department of Psychology, Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences
Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; Nikola Hartling, Department of
Psychology, Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
This article was based on a research project conducted by Sean P. Mack-
innon as part of his comprehensive examinations. Sean P. Mackinnon was
supervised by Simon B. Sherry. This article was supported by a grant from the
Dalhousie University Research Development Fund for the Humanities and
Social Sciences awarded to Simon B. Sherry and to Sherry H. Stewart. This
article was also supported by a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council of Canada Standard Research Grant awarded to Simon B.
Sherry and to Martin M. Antony. Sean P. Mackinnon was supported by a
Canada Graduate Scholarship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Re-
search Council and an honorary Izaak Walton Killam Level II Scholarship.
Sherry H. Stewart was supported by a Killam Research Professorship at the
time this research was conducted. We thank Sarah Doucette, Skye Fitzpatrick,
and Brittany Orchard for their research assistance.
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Simon B.
Sherry, Department of Psychology, Dalhousie University, Life Sciences
Centre, 1355 Oxford Street, P.O. Box 15000, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Can-
ada, B3H 4R2. E-mail: simon.sherry@dal.ca
Journal of Family Psychology © 2012 American Psychological Association
2012, Vol. 26, No. 2, 215–225 0893-3200/12/$12.00 DOI: 10.1037/a0027402
215
This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.
This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.