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Brief Report

Perfectionism in Italy and the USA

Measurement Invariance and Implications for Cross-Cultural Assessment

Published Online:June 15, 2018https://doi.org/10.1027/1015-5759/a000476

Abstract

Abstract. Perfectionism research has been recently extending its scope internationally. The short forms of the Almost Perfect Scale-Revised (APS-R; Slaney, Rice, Mobley, Trippi, & Ashby, 2001; Rice, Richardson, & Tueller, 2014) and the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (MPS; Cox, Enns, & Clara, 2002; Hewitt & Flett, 1990), originally validated with North American samples, have been translated for use on Italian samples. However, these tests have yet to be evaluated for measurement equivalence between the respective countries. Both scales were administered to undergraduate students in the USA (N = 336) and Italy (N = 201). Multiple group confirmatory factor analyses supported partial scalar invariance for both scales, indicating functional equivalence across cultures. Italian students reported lower levels of perfectionistic strivings. No meaningful differences in perfectionistic concerns were found between countries. Further study is needed to assess why some items and factors may differ between Italians and Americans.

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