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Life Stress, Problem Solving, Perfectionism, and Depressive Symptoms in Chinese

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Abstract

The present investigation sought to examine the roles of perfectionism and problem solving in the relations between stress-related depressive symptoms in a Chinese adult sample. One hundred and thirty-eighty students in an open university in Hong Kong with a mean age of 28 years participated in the study. After controlling the effectsof life stress, problem solving was shown to have significant main effects on both hopelessness and depressive features, whereas perfectionism was found to have main effects only on the latter variable. In addition, the results indicated that two constructs played a moderating role in the relations between life stress and depressive symptoms and hopelessness. The findings revealed that perfectionism and problem solving were important cognitive–behavioral variables in accounting for variances of psychological distress across cultures. Limitations of the study are discussed.

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Cheng, S.K. Life Stress, Problem Solving, Perfectionism, and Depressive Symptoms in Chinese. Cognitive Therapy and Research 25, 303–310 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010788513083

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