‘Perfectionist’ students more prone to stress, unhealthy coping under pressure — study

Perceived pressure from parents, teachers, and peers to be “perfect” may be contributing to mental distress among Filipino university students, according to a recent study by researchers from York St John University in England and the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman.

The three-man group of Jeryl Shawn Tan, also from the UP Diliman Department of Psychology, Andrew Hill, and Daniel Madigan found that students who believed others expected them to be flawless were more likely to experience poorer psychological well-being and rely on less healthy coping strategies.

Published in the peer-reviewed journal Anxiety, Stress, & Coping, the 23-page study was the first in the Philippines to test the widely used 2-by-2 model of perfectionism, which examines how personal and external expectations affect students’ coping and adjustment.

The researchers examined data from two studies involving a total of 618 Filipino university students, aged 18 to 33, to determine how different forms of perfectionism influence students’ well-being and coping strategies.

Their study focused on self-oriented perfectionism (SOP), or setting high personal standards, and socially prescribed perfectionism (SPP), or believing others expect perfection.

Across both studies, students with high levels of SPP generally reported poorer well-being and were more likely to rely on avoidance coping and substance use, while those with SOP were more likely to use active coping and seek social support.

“These findings indicate that students displaying subtypes with high SOP typically used more problem-focused coping strategies … whereas students displaying subtypes with high SPP typically used more avoidance coping,” Tan and his co-authors wrote.

However, the benefits of SOP diminished when students also believed others expected perfection from them, with those high in both forms of perfectionism becoming more likely to rely on venting, or expressing negative emotions.

“When assessing risk among students, we are reminded that while high SOP may be related to desirable coping, in the presence of sufficient SPP, it will contribute to less desirable coping,” the researchers wrote.

The researchers said family expectations and the Filipino value of ‘utang na loob’ may contribute to these pressures, particularly when parental criticism becomes excessive.

Still, the researchers added that family expectations did not always have negative effects, as students who balanced personal goals with family expectations reported better life satisfaction and healthier coping strategies.

“Having ‘utang na loob’ for their families can be a double-edged sword. Some students may have difficulties prioritizing their own goals … while others may find harmony between fulfilling personal goals and meeting parental expectations,” the researchers said.