The Revised Almost Perfect Scale (APS-R; Slaney, Mobley, Trippi, Ashby, & Johnson, 1996 ) was designed to measure perfectionistic strivings (standards), perfectionistic concerns (discrepancy), and preferences for neatness and organization (order). In this study, English and Spanish (Arana, Keegan, & Rutsztein, 2009 ) versions of the APS-R were compared in samples of 283 college students in Argentina and 311 U.S. students. The results offered support for cross-national scalar invariance for discrepancy and order items but standards items, with a few exceptions, raised concerns about their cross-national comparability. Tests of latent means revealed no differences between the countries for discrepancy, but the order factor mean was higher in the U.S. Age and gender had negligible effects on measurement models. Discrepancy was strongly related to depressive symptoms for both samples. Unlike in the U.S. sample, there was a significant association for the Argentina sample between standards and discrepancy. Overall, results indicated that discrepancy items performed well, order items were adequate with some measurement adjustments, and standards items should be revisited for their cross-cultural utility. Translation issues and general values in Argentina and the United States (e.g., collectivism-individualism) are discussed that might affect how perfectionism is understood and measured in different cultural contexts.

Background:Researchers focused on developing therapeutic strategies for perfectionism given its well-established link to the onset and maintenance of several mental disorders. Meta-analytical findings provided support for the efficacy of cognitive behavioural (CB) approaches. However, most studies have focused on the efficacy of interventions, without analysing their efficiency.Aims:To explore the feasibility of a brief (five weekly sessions) CB group intervention focused on reducing perfectionistic concerns in Argentine students. We also aimed to identify participants who benefited from the intervention and to explore their differences with non-respondents. A third aim was to explore the potential merits of the intervention in a different cultural context as this is the first attempt to adapt an English-spoken protocol to the Spanish language.Method:A quasi-experimental design with two time points was used. Twenty-four out of 84 participants (mean age = 27.75 years,SD= 8.3) were classified as maladaptive perfectionists.Results:Pairedt-tests and reliable change index comparisons revealed that most students (75%) statistically and clinically reduced their levels of perfectionistic concerns as well as their perfectionistic strivings. General distress, operationalized as anxious and depressive symptoms, was also decreased. Students who completed and responded to the intervention were more dysfunctional in academic and psychological measures at baseline than non-completers and non-improvers.Conclusions:Findings support the feasibility, preliminary efficacy and efficiency of this five weekly session intervention when applied to a sample of Argentine university students.

El presente artículo tiene por objetivo analizar la relación entre los perfiles de perfeccionismo y el desempeño académico en una muestra de estudiantes universitarios de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. El desempeño ha sido operacionalizado a través de las variables promedio académico general percibido, calificación del último examen, cantidad de exámenes adeudados y años de carrera cursados. Participaron en la investigación 465 estudiantes pertenecientes a las carreras de Psicología (52,2%) Ingeniería (26,2%) y Medicina (21,6%). La distribución de la población de estudiantes en los distintos perfiles de perfeccionismo (adaptativo- PA, desadaptativo- PD y no perfeccionistas-NP) se presentó según las predicciones derivadas de la teoría y los estudios previos realizados por nuestro equipo de investigación. Respecto a la relación entre los diferentes perfiles y el desempeño académico, se encontró que los estudiantes con un perfil de PA presentaron un promedio percibido significativamente superior, y una cantidad de exámenes adeudados significativamente menor que los estudiantes de los restantes perfiles. No se evidenciaron diferencias significativas para estas variables entre los sujetos con un perfil de PD y los estudiantes NP. Para las restantes variables no se hallaron diferencias significativas entre los distintos perfiles de perfeccionismo. Se discuten las implicancias de estos hallazgos para futuras investigaciones en el área.