Canonical Correlation Analysis of Multidimensional Perfectionism and Mental Health Among Filipino Young Adults

Perfectionism is a multidimensional personality trait that has been consistently linked to both negative and positive mental health outcomes. Yet recent research has increasingly reduced perfectionism to broad higher-order factors leaving specific dimensions underexamined. The present study examined how the six dimensions of Multidimensional Perfectionism according to Frost et al. (1990)—Concern over Mistakes, Doubts about Actions, Personal Standards, Organization, Parental Expectations, and Parental Criticism—relate to positive and negative mental health outcomes among Filipino young adults. Canonical correlation analysis was employed in a sample of 1,093 participants ( M age = 22.10, SD = 1.66) to capture the multivariate patterning of associations between perfectionism dimensions and four mental health indicators: stress, anxiety, depression, and life satisfaction. Two significant canonical functions emerged. The first function (Rc = .649, 42.1% shared variance between the two canonical variates) linked Concern over Mistakes, Doubts about Actions, Parental Criticism, Parental Expectations and Personal Standards to higher stress, anxiety, and depression, and lower life satisfaction. The second (Rc = .332, 11.0% shared variance between the two canonical variates) linked Personal Standards and Organization to greater life satisfaction and lower depression, with weaker associations with anxiety and stress. These findings highlight the value of examining individual perfectionism dimensions rather than broad higher-order factors. Parental dimensions, in particular, appear especially relevant in the Filipino context.