Mediator Role of the Need for Social Approval in the Relationship between Perfectionism and Codependency: A Structural Equation Modeling Study

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to test the model developed in relation to the mediator role of the need for social approval in the relationship between perfectionism and codependency. The study was conducted on a total of 188 students (144 females and 44 males) attending the Education Faculty of Amasya University. In the study, Spann-Fischer Codependency Scale, Need for Social Approval Scale and Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale were used. The theoretical model proposed in the study was tested with the structural equation model. In the analysis of the collected data, LISREL 8.51 was used. The goodness-of-fit indices calculated for the model were found to be good. The goodness-of-fit indices found for the structural model are as follows: RMSEA=0.07, Standardized RMR=0.08, NNFI=0.90, CFI=0.91 and IFI=0.91. It was found that the structural model constructed to reveal the mediator role of the need for social approval in the relationship between perfectionism and codependency has a good fit and the need for social approval was found to have a partial mediator role in the model.