Investigating Structural Relationships between Perfectionism and Students' Quality of School Life with Respect to the Mediating Role of Emotional Regulation Difficulty

Background Quality of school life is defined as the overall student satisfaction with their experiences of school activities. The purpose of this study was to investigate the structural relationships between perfectionism and quality of school life with respect to the mediating role of emotional regulation difficulty. Materials and Methods: This is a descriptive correlation study using structural equations. A sample of ۳۵۳ female high school students in Kerman, Iran, was selected through Cochran's formula using random cluster sampling. To collect data, Ainley and Bourke's Quality of School Life (QSL) scale, Terry-Short's Positive and Negative Perfectionism (PAPS) scale, and Gratz & Roemer's Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) were used. The validity of the questionnaires was measured and confirmed using factor analysis and reliability through Cronbach's alpha. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical indicators including structural equation modeling and confirmatory factor analysis using SPSS (version ۱۶.۰), and AMOS software (version ۲۴.۰). Results: Results showed that positive and negative perfectionism have a significant effect on the quality of school life with respect to the mediating role of emotional regulation difficulty. The impact of positive perfectionism on the quality of school life was direct and significant, while its effect on the difficulty of emotional regulation was significant but inverse; emotional regulation difficulty showed a significant inverse effect on the quality of school life. Conclusion Perfectionism and emotional regulation difficulty are threats to the quality of school life, so adopting a comprehensive perspective to understand and solve these issues is necessary.  

Keywords:

Emotional Regulation Difficulty , Perfectionism , Students , Quality of life