Is perfectionism associated with academic burnout through repetitive negative thinking?

Abstract

Academic burnout is prevalent among university students, although understanding of what predicts burnout is limited. This study aimed to test the direct and indirect relationship between two dimensions of perfectionism (Perfectionistic Concerns and Perfectionistic Strivings) and the three elements of Academic Burnout (Exhaustion, Inadequacy, and Cynicism) through Repetitive Negative Thinking. In a cross-sectional survey, undergraduate students (n = 126, Mage = 23.64, 79% female) completed well-validated measures of Perfectionism, Repetitive Negative Thinking, and Academic Burnout. Perfectionistic Concerns was directly associated with all elements of burnout, as well as indirectly associated with Exhaustion and Cynicism via Repetitive Negative Thinking. Perfectionistic Strivings was directly associated with less Inadequacy and Cynicism; however, there were no indirect associations between Perfectionistic Strivings and Academic Burnout operating through Repetitive Negative Thinking. Repetitive Negative Thinking was also directly related to more burnout Exhaustion and Inadequacy, but not Cynicism. It is concluded that future research should investigate whether interventions targeting Perfectionistic Concerns and Repetitive Negative Thinking can reduce Academic Burnout in university students.

Life Crafting as a Way to Find Purpose and Meaning in Life

“…Several authors have indeed noted that the role of parents in students' study and career choices has been under-researched (Jodl et al, 2001;Taylor et al, 2004), but choosing one's study and career path according to one's own preferences is likely to be more satisfying than living the life that others have in mind for one. Recently, it has been noted that especially "socially prescribed" perfectionism where people try to live up to the standards of other and also seek their approval is related to burn-out, depression and a lack of experienced meaning (Suh et al, 2017;Garratt-Reed et al, 2018;Curran and Hill, 2019). In our society, education is highly valued, but less emphasis is placed on structured reflection about values, goals, and plans for what people want in life.…”

Perfectionism and Academic Burnout: The Mediating Role of Worry and Depressive Rumination in University Students

“…Thus it is not surprising for adaptive perfectionists to have positive outcomes such as positive affect, better academic achievement, effective problem solving, better life satisfaction (Bergman, Nyland, & Burns, 2007;Hicks & Yao, 2015) and maladaptive perfectionists to have negative outcomes involving depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, low selfworth, self-criticism, and so on (Kiamanesh, Dieserud, & Haavind, 2015;Meh & Adams, 2016). Among other negative outcomes, maladaptive perfectionism has been frequently linked with burnout in student population and in others as well (Aboalshamat et al, 2017;Garratte-Reed, Howell, Hayes, & Boyes, 2018;Zhang, Gan, & Cham, 2007).…”

Exploring the relationship between perfectionism and academic burnout through achievement goals: a mediation model

“…Previous research (e.g., Chang et al 2016;Garratt-Reed et al 2018;Luo et al 2016) has reported a negative association between perfectionistic strivings and academic burnout. For example, Chang et al (2016) found that perfectionistic strivings were negatively associated with academic burnout through high levels of intrinsic and identified motivation.…”

“…For example, Chang and Lee (2020) reported that perfectionistic concerns predicted low levels of goal reengagement, which was linked to high levels of academic burnout. Garratt-Reed et al (2018) found a positive association between perfectionistic concerns and academic burnout through high levels of repetitive negative thoughts. Lee and Yang (2019) showed that perfectionistic concerns have a positive association with academic burnout through low levels of internal locus of control and self-encouragement.…”