Factor structure and psychometric properties of a Polish adaptation of the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale

Abstract

The Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (FMPS) is one of the most popular questionnaires for measuring perfectionism. Although this scale is in common use, its psychometric parameters still remain in dispute. The aim of this article is to present the Polish adaptation of the FMPS in a non-clinical sample. 696 university students aged 18 to 42 (M = 26.74, SD = 7.56) took part in the study. Confirmatory Factor Analyses suggested that the most appropriate factor structure of the adapted version of the FMPS contains 5 correlated factors: CM (concerns over mistakes), DAA (doubts about actions), PE (parental expectations), PC (parental criticism), and PS (personal standards). The ORG (organization) subscale was removed after evaluation. The evaluation of the specific relationships of each dimension of the adapted version of the FMPS with shame, guilt, worry, rumination, and indecisiveness revealed that when controlling for the variances of the remaining dimensions, significant relationships occurred almost only in the case of the CM, DAA and PS scales, suggesting that they constitute the three core facets of perfectionism as measured by the FMPS.