The Reliability and Validity of the Clinical Perfectionism Questionnaire in Eating Disorder and Community Samples

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Clinical perfectionism is a significant risk factor for developing and maintaining anxiety disorders, depression, and eating disorders.
• Understanding and measuring clinical perfectionism is crucial for effective intervention and treatment strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the psychometric properties of the 12-item Clinical Perfectionism Questionnaire (CPQ).
• To establish the reliability and validity of the CPQ in diverse samples.

Main Methods:

• Two studies were conducted: Study 1 with a nonclinical internet sample (n=206) and Study 2 with an eating disorder treatment sample (n=129) and a community sample (n=80).
• Factor analysis, correlation analyses, and assessment of internal consistency, discriminative, and incremental validity were employed.

Main Results:

• Factor analysis confirmed a two-factor structure for the CPQ in both studies.
• The CPQ exhibited strong correlations with perfectionism and psychopathology measures, acceptable internal consistency, and good discriminative and incremental validity.
• The questionnaire successfully differentiated individuals with eating disorders from control groups and was assessed at a US grade 4 reading level.

Conclusions:

• The findings support the reliability and validity of the CPQ for assessing clinical perfectionism in clinical and community samples.
• The CPQ is a promising, accessible, and psychometrically sound instrument for measuring clinical perfectionism, though further research is warranted.