A Brief Cognitive Behavioural Intervention for Maladaptive Perfectionism in Students: A Pilot Study

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Mental Health Interventions

Background:

• Perfectionism is linked to various mental health disorders.
• Cognitive behavioural (CB) interventions show efficacy for perfectionism.
• Research has primarily focused on intervention efficacy, not efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of a brief, five-session CB group intervention for reducing perfectionistic concerns in Argentine students.
• To identify participants who benefited from the intervention and compare them to non-respondents.
• To explore the cultural adaptability of an English-developed CB protocol to Spanish.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental design with two time points was employed.
• The study included 84 participants, with 24 classified as maladaptive perfectionists (mean age 27.75).

Main Results:

• 75% of students showed statistically and clinically significant reductions in perfectionistic concerns and strivings.
• Anxious and depressive symptoms (general distress) also decreased.
• Intervention completers and responders were more dysfunctional at baseline than non-completers/non-improvers.

Conclusions:

• The five-session CB group intervention is feasible, preliminarily effective, and efficient for Argentine university students.
• The findings support the cultural adaptation and application of this intervention.
• The intervention demonstrates potential for reducing perfectionism and associated distress in diverse populations.