This longitudinal study examines the relationship between spiritual and religious practice and maladaptive perfectionism among Latter-day Saint youth. The findings suggest spiritual and religious engagement is associated with less maladaptive perfectionism. Furthermore, practices such as personal prayer and Sabbath observance contributed to enhanced mental health outcomes among youth.
Learning Objectives:
At the end of this session, attendees should be able to:
Describe the concept of maladaptive perfectionism and its relationship to negative mental health outcomes among youth, including anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and other disabilities.
Explain the longitudinal relationship between five relatively distinct spiritual and religious (S/R) practices—i.e., personal prayer, spiritual experiences, a warm relationship with God, church attendance, and Sabbath observance—and maladaptive perfectionism among youth from the Latter-day Saint faith tradition.
Identify strategies that social work educators can employ to help equip students to operationalize S/R practices when working with Latter-day Saint clients and other people of faith.
