Structural Model of the Relationship between Early Maladaptive Schemas and Perfectionism in Gifted Teenagers: The Meditating Role of Metacognitive Beliefs and Popularity of Parents

The aim of this study was finding a structural model of the relationship between early maladaptive schemas and perfectionism in gifted teenagers: the mediating role of metacognitive beliefs and parental popularity. The method of the study was correlation based on structural equation modeling; moreover, it was a functional study. The population of this study was all girls attending SAMPAD schools in Tehran during the school year 2020-2021. Based on the available samples and after omitting incomplete questionnaires, 300 students were selected as the final sample, and the popularity of parents’ questionnaire (PPS), metacognitive beliefs questionnaire (MCQ-30), Perfectionism Scale (MPS), questionnaire of early maladaptive schemas (MPSQ) had been used as measurement tools. Collected data had been analyzed using structural equation modeling and multilevel analysis in the HLM software. Testing the model revealed that the direct effect of popularity of parents (0.22) and metacognitive beliefs (-0.21) on positive perfectionism was positive and negative, respectively, and the direct effect of popularity of parents (-0.47) and metacognitive beliefs (0/19) on negative perfectionism was negative and positive, respectively. Maladaptive schemas had effects of parent popularity and metacognitive beliefs with a coefficient of (-0.49) and (0.23), respectively, and a significance of 0.001. Indirect effects also showed that maladaptive schemas can cause positive perfectionism with a coefficient of (-0.15) with the mediating role of parent popularity and metacognitive beliefs and negative perfectionism with a coefficient of (0.27). Therefore, it can be concluded that the model tested in this study supports the theoretical model and this model can be used for perfectionism.