title: The relationship of perfectionism with psychological symptoms in cancer patients and the contributing role of hyperarousability and coping.
abstract: Significant levels of anxiety, depression and insomnia symptoms are found in cancer patients. Perfectionism, arousability and coping have been associated with these psychological symptoms in the general population but their role among cancer patients remains to be assessed. This study examined the longitudinal relationships between perfectionism and psychological symptoms (anxiety, depression, insomnia), and the intermediate role of the arousability trait and coping strategies.
  
  
  
  Participants (N = 853) completed the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, the Coping with Health Injuries and Problems questionnaire and the Arousal Predisposition Scale at the perioperative period (T1), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the Insomnia Severity Index two months later (T2).
  
  
  
  Higher levels of perfectionism (T1) were correlated with greater symptoms of anxiety, depression and insomnia (T2). Moderated mediation models indicated that arousability contributed to the association of perfectionism with all symptoms, with stronger associations found in men than in women. Coping was a significant pathway between perfectionism and anxiety, with associations of a comparable magnitude across sexes.
  
  
  
  If these results are replicated by future longitudinal studies, they would suggest that perfectionist cancer patients are at a higher risk of experiencing psychological symptoms, partly through their hyperarousability and the coping strategies they use.
authors.affiliation: a School of Psychology , Université Laval , Québec , Canada.|b Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval , Québec , Canada.|c Université Laval Cancer Research Center , Québec , Canada.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Trudel-Fitzgerald
authors.affiliation: a School of Psychology , Université Laval , Québec , Canada.|b Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval , Québec , Canada.|c Université Laval Cancer Research Center , Québec , Canada.
authors.forename: Josée
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Savard
authors.affiliation: a School of Psychology , Université Laval , Québec , Canada.|b Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval , Québec , Canada.|c Université Laval Cancer Research Center , Québec , Canada.
authors.forename: Lisa-Maria
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Slim
authors.affiliation: a School of Psychology , Université Laval , Québec , Canada.|b Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval , Québec , Canada.|c Université Laval Cancer Research Center , Québec , Canada.
authors.forename: Renée-Claude
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Roy
authors.affiliation: d Faculty of Health, Department of Psychology , York University , Toronto , Canada.
authors.forename: Gordon L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Flett
authors.affiliation: e Department of Psychology , University of British Columbia , Vancouver , Canada.
authors.forename: Paul L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Hewitt
authors.affiliation: a School of Psychology , Université Laval , Québec , Canada.|b Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval , Québec , Canada.|c Université Laval Cancer Research Center , Québec , Canada.
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ivers
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D001143:Arousal; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D000072639:Perfectionism; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: anxiety; arousal; coping; depression; insomnia; perfectionism