The Relationship of Perfectionism, Early Maladaptive Schemas, and Attachment Styles with Body Image Concern through the Moderating Role of Self-Esteem in Cosmetic Surgery Applicants

Background: Psychological elements could have effective roles on applications for cosmetic surgery and also on their precognition and satisfaction with surgery.  The present study aimed to investigate the relationship of perfectionism, early maladaptive schemas, and attachment styles with body image concern through the moderating role of self-esteem in cosmetic surgery applicants. Methods: It was a predictive correlational study. The statistical population of the study included all women applicants for cosmetic surgery referring to cosmetic surgery centers in Tehran in 2020. A sample size of 400 women was selected based on the Klein model (2016).   The data were collected by Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) (1989), Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (MPS) (Hewitt & Flett, 1991), Young Schema Questionnaire (YSQ-S3) (Young, 2005), Adult Attachment Scale (AAS) (Collins and Reed, 1990) and Body Image Concern Inventory (BICI) (Littleton et al, 2005) and were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient and structural equations using SPSS and AMOS software version 24. Results: The results showed that there was a significant relationship between perfectionism, early maladaptive schemas, attachment styles and self-esteem with body image concerns (P <0.01). Also the modified model had a good fit (RMSEA = 0.061, GFI = 0.989, IFI = 0.987, P-value <0.05) and indirect paths of perfectionism, early maladaptive schema and attachment styles through self-esteem were also significant. Conclusion: The evaluated model had a good fit and can play an important role in recognizing the factors affecting the body image concerns of female cosmetic surgery applicants.