Benefits of Being a Healthy Perfectionist: Examining Profiles in Relation to Nurses' Well-Being

The aim of the current study was to examine perfectionism in relation to burn-out and depressive symptoms in nurses. The sample comprised 581 nurses from various medical units in several regional hospitals in Taiwan. The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Service Survey, and Almost Perfect Scale-Revised were used to assess depressive symptoms, burnout, and perfectionism. Response data were analyzed through descriptive statistics, Pearson's product-moment correlation, cluster analysis, and one-way analysis of variance. Results showed that nurses in the healthy and unhealthy perfectionist groups reported higher personal standards and organization than nonperfectionists. In addition, the unhealthy and nonperfectionist groups reported higher levels of perceived personal failure than healthy perfectionists. The findings can be used to design psychoeducational programs that promote nurses' self-awareness of cognitive style in understanding perfectionism and to enhance mental health promotion at work. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 55(4), 22-28.].