Journal of Applied Psychological Research

Investigating the Relationship between Perfectionism and Social Anxiety Considering the Mediating Role of Perceived Stress and Cognitive Regulation of Emotion in Tehran University Students

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Nasser Khosrow University, Saveh, Markazi, Iran.

2 Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Bandar Abbas Branch, Islamic Azad University, Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan, Iran.

3 Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Sari Branch, Sari, Mazandaran, Iran.

4 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between perfectionism and social anxiety, with particular attention to the mediating roles of perceived stress and cognitive emotion regulation. The research procedure employed was correlational analysis using a structural equation model. The statistical population of the research comprised undergraduates of Tehran University during 2022-2023, from which a sample of 400 individuals (248 women and 152 men) was selected using a multi-stage random sampling method. The research instrument comprised a Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (MPS), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS), and emotion regulation Questionnaire (ERQ). Data analysis was conducted utilizing the statistical method of structural equation modeling, employing SPSS-23 and AMOS-24. Based on the results, perfectionism exerts a direct and positive influence on perceived stress and social anxiety. It exerts a direct negative effect on the cognitive regulation of emotion. Perfectionism influences social anxiety indirectly (β=0.265, p<0.01), both through the mediation of cognitive emotion regulation and perceived stress. Cognitive emotion regulation exerts an indirect influence (β=0.110, p<0.05) on social anxiety, mediated by perceived stress. The present study can be regarded as a theoretical and practical paradigm for elucidating the relationship between perfectionism and social anxiety, considering the mediating roles of perceived stress and cognitive emotion regulation.

Keywords

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Journal of Applied Psychological Research
Volume 16, Issue 4
December 2025
Pages 287-302
  • Receive Date: 15 April 2023
  • Revise Date: 23 June 2023
  • Accept Date: 08 August 2023
  • First Publish Date: 19 October 2025
  • Publish Date: 22 December 2025