Psychometric Evidence of the Short Almost Perfect Scale (SAPS) in Brazil

• Published in: The Counseling psychologist 2021-01, Vol.49 (1), p.6-32
• Main Authors: Lins de Holanda Coelho, Gabriel, Pereira Monteiro, Renan, Vilar, Roosevelt, H. P. Hanel, Paul, Cunha Moizéis, Heloísa Bárbara, Gouveia, Valdiney Veloso
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adequacy; Ambiguity; Discrimination; Life satisfaction; Measurement; Perfectionism; Personality; Personality traits; Quantitative psychology; Reliability; Suicide
• ISSN: 0011-0000; 1552-3861
• DOI: 10.1177/0011000020949146

Perfectionism can be understood as a personality trait that establishes excessively high standards for the performance of individuals and ostensibly critical self-evaluations. It is associated with a range of variables, such as anxiety, suicidal tendencies, depression, and low satisfaction with life. The Short Almost Perfect Scale (SAPS) overcame some limitations of previous measures (e.g., ambiguity, nonnecessary factors). In the present research, we provide psychometric evidence of the adequacy of the SAPS in Brazil. The original two-factor structure was replicated. The items showed good discrimination, level of difficulty, and informativeness for the overall measure. The SAPS also presented acceptable reliability levels, full measurement invariance across participants’ gender, and partial invariance across countries (Brazil and the United States). Finally, perfectionism was meaningfully associated with personality traits and human values. In sum, our findings suggest that the SAPS is psychometrically adequate for further use in Brazil.