Perfectionism and perseverative negative thinking/PNT are both associatedwith eating disorders symptoms. PNT is a prime candidate when investigating the pathway that links perfectionism to psychopathology.

To investigate if PNT mediates the relationshipbetween perfectionismcognitions and ED symptoms.

114 young women(mean age=23.78±6.340; mean BMI=21.59±3.127; 49.4% students) fill in the Portuguese validated versions of Eating Attitudes Test/EAT-25 (to evaluateBulimic behaviors, Diet and Social pressure to eat), MultidimensionalPerfectionism Cognitions Inventory (Concern over mistakes/CM, Personal standards/PS,Pursuit of Perfection) and Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire/PTQ-15(Repetitive Thought/RT, Cognitive interference and unproductiveness). Onlyvariables significantly correlated with the outcomes (EAT-25_Total and itsdimensions) were entered in the multiple regression models. Mediation analysesusing Preacher and Hayes bootstrapping methodology were performed.

Significantpredictors of EAT_Total were CM (b=.180)and RT (b=.169)(both p<.05). RT partially mediatedthe relationship between EAT_Total and CM. (95%CI=.0671-.0290).

Bulimicbehaviors were predicted by the same variables (b=.359;b=.154;p<.05) and RT also partially mediated the relationship between Bulimic behaviorsand CM (95%CI=.0071-.0190). Diet and Social Pressure to Eat were only predictedby PS (b=.154;b=.257,respectively; p<.05).

Although PNT mediates the relationship between perfectionist cognitions andbulimic behavior, the effect of the perfectionism on other disordered eatingdimensions, such as diet and SPE, seems to be independent of the PNT levels. Aspreviously reported in other studies with community samples, disordered eatingbehaviors are associated to negative perfectionism dimensions, but also todimensions that have been considered not entirely maladaptive.