Piloting a perfectionism intervention for pre-adolescent children

The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate a school-based intervention program focussing on reducing perfectionism in pre-adolescent children.

A 2-lesson intervention or the control condition was implemented across three schools (N = 125; M age = 11.60 years; 47.2% girls). Students completed assessments at baseline, post-intervention and 4-week follow-up.

Significant between group differences for self-oriented perfectionism-striving were identified post-intervention and were maintained at 4-week follow-up (d = 0.47 and 0.40 respectively). Significant interactions between group and time favouring the intervention group were identified for the hyperactivity and emotional problems.

Findings from this study provide preliminary support for the effectiveness of a perfectionism intervention at an earlier age than has been targeted to date. While these findings appear promising, the justification of such approaches with this age group will require follow-up investigations with expanded intervention content, longer follow-up assessments, larger samples, and evidence of impact on other variables such as well-being.

ACTRN12614001262695.