Abstract

DINIZ, Marina Luiza Nunes; RODRIGUES, Willian de Sousa  and  MANSUR-ALVES, Marcela. Significant role of perfectionism in the mental health crisis in graduate education. Rev. bras.ter. cogn. [online]. 2024, vol.20, e20240449.  Epub Dec 02, 2024. ISSN 1808-5687.  https://doi.org/10.5935/1808-5687.20240449.

Given the prevalent mental health crisis among graduate students, it is crucial to understand the specific characteristics that contribute to the development of psychological distress in this demographic sample. This study aims to determine whether the transdiagnostic process of perfectionism is a significant predictor of psychological distress in graduate students and to compare its importance with other transdiagnostic processes, such as negative repetitive thinking (rumination and worry) and neuroticism. The sample comprised 3,534 graduate students aged between 20 and 60 (mean age = 30.60; SD = 6.73; 70.7% female students). These students represented various fields of study, with 49.1% (n = 1,736) pursuing a doctorate and 50.9% (n = 1,798) working toward a master’s degree. Perfectionistic Concerns emerged as the strongest predictor of psychological distress, second to worry and tied with neuroticism. Collectively, Perfectionistic Concerns, worry and neuroticism accounted for 81% of the psychological distress in the sample, compared to less than 1.5% attributed to rumination and Perfectionistic Striving. The findings suggest that perfectionism should be considered when devising intervention and prevention strategies, as well as in the development of explanatory models.

Keywords : perfectionism; psychological distress; Education; Graduate; Mental Health.

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