Associations between perfectionism and skin-picking in a non-clinical sample

Past research has reported associations between perfectionism and skin-picking in clinical samples and in a specific sub-group of patients. The aims of this pre-registered study were to (1) test if we could replicate an association between perfectionism and skin-picking in non-clinical participants and (2) examine whether different forms of perfectionism are associated in different ways with skin-picking. Participants (N = 187) were non-clinical adults aged 18-57 years (mean = 30.01, SD = 8.95). They completed self-report measures of negative affect, perfectionism, and skin-picking online. In correlational analysis, socially-prescribed, but not self-oriented or other-oriented, perfectionism was significantly associated with skin-picking. However, in a regression analysis, socially-prescribed perfectionism was not a significant predictor of skin-picking after adjusting for demographics and negative affect. These findings provide inconsistent evidence concerning a possible role for perfectionism in the development of skin-picking. Open data and materials are available at doi.org/10.17605/osf.io/6e42q.