An Italian adaptation of the Child-Adolescent Perfectionism Scale: Testing measurement invariance across grade levels and exploring associations with academic achievement

Abstract

This study aims to examine the properties of an Italian version of the Child-Adolescent Perfectionism Scale (CAPS), one of the most widely used instrument for the assessment of self-oriented (SOP) and socially-prescribed (SPP) perfectionism in young people. The study was conducted on two large samples of middle (n = 379, Mage = 11.31) and high school (n = 451, Mage = 15.21) students. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the expected three-factor structure, comprising SOP-Striving, SOP-Critical, and SPP. Multigroup analyses provided evidence of configural, metric, and (partial) scalar measurement invariance across grade levels. Structural invariance (i.e., the invariance of factor variances and covariances) was also established. The scale scores exhibited a differentiated pattern of relations with personality traits and academic achievement, as measured by school grades: SOP-Critical and SPP were positively related to neuroticism and have adverse effects on grades of middle and high school students, respectively. SOP-Striving, by contrast, was positively related to conscientiousness and predicted higher grades. The SOP-Striving-achievement relation was consistent across grade levels and held even after controlling for individual differences in conscientiousness and neuroticism. In sum, results from this study establish sound psychometric properties for an Italian version of the CAPS, providing support for the dual nature of self-oriented perfectionism among adolescents of different ages.

Validación del modelo multidimensional de perfeccionismo en población infantil

“…Estos resultados son interesantes y rea#rman la importancia de diferenciar las autoexigencias de las emociones y las actitudes de desvalorización que suelen acompañarlas. Otros autores también han observado esta distinción operacional en sus estudios psicométricos (Lozano et al, 2012;McCreary et al, 2004;O'Connor et al, 2009;Vecchione & Vacca, 2021; aunque, a diferencia del presente trabajo, algunos de ellos asociaron la faceta de autoexigencia a aspectos funcionales, mientras que la de autocrítica a aspectos disfuncionales.…”

Perfectionistic Children and Their Parents: Is There Room for an Intergenerational Transmission? A Study of a Clinical Sample of Italian Children and Their Parents

“…In its original form [ 34 ], the CAPS consisted of 22 items intended to measure SOP and SPP. We used the Italian version [ 35 ] of the abbreviated 14-item version [ 36 ]. This scale measures SPP (7 items, e.g., “There are people in my life who expect me to be perfect”) and two aspects of SOP, as previous factor analytic studies [ 36 ] with samples of children and adolescents have indicated that SOP split into two facets.…”

“…Participants rated each statement on a 5-point Likert scale (from 1 = not at all true of me to 5 = very true of me). The original validated version of the CAPS showed good psychometric properties (Cronbach’s alpha ranging from 0.65 to 0.81) [ 35 ]. Internal reliability coefficients computed on the present sample resulted equal to 0.79, 0.67, and 0.71, respectively, for SPP, SOP-Critical, and SOP-Striving;…”

Prospective associations between grandiose narcissism and perfectionism: A longitudinal study in adolescence

“…The CAPS is an adaptation of the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, developed by Hewitt and Flett (1991) for the assessment of perfectionism in adults. We used an Italian, validated version (Vecchione & Vacca, 2021) of the abbreviated 14‐item version (O'Connor et al, 2009). The scale was originally designed to measure Socially Prescribed Perfectionism (SPP – 7 items, e.g., ‘There are people in my life who expect me to be perfect’) and Self‐Oriented Perfectionism (SOP – 7 items).…”

“…SOP-Critical was consistently related to maladaptive outcomes such as negative affect, worry, anxiety and depressive symptoms (e.g., Affrunti & Woodruff-Borden, 2016;McCreary et al, 2004;Soreni et al, 2014). A different pattern was observed for SOP-Striving, which has shown several adaptive consequences, including higher levels of self-esteem, achievement motivation and academic success (Accordino et al, 2000;Klibert et al, 2005;Vecchione & Vacca, 2021). Socially Prescribed Perfectionism (SPP) has been widely regarded as a vulnerability factor for adolescents' psychological distress (e.g., Affrunti & Woodruff-Borden, 2016;Flett et al, 2011).…”