Perfectionism and Daily Coping and Emotion Regulation Processes: a Trial of Two Explanatory Feedback Interventions

Launched by MCGILL UNIVERSITY · Oct 1, 2024

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is exploring how two different feedback programs can help university students who struggle with perfectionism improve their emotional well-being and coping skills. Perfectionism can lead to feelings of anxiety and depression, so the researchers want to see if giving personalized feedback about daily stress and coping strategies can help students feel more empowered and better manage their emotions. Participants will take part in a four-week study where they will be randomly assigned to one of four groups: a waitlist control group, a group receiving one type of feedback, a group receiving another type of feedback, or a group receiving both types of feedback together.

To be eligible, students need to show higher levels of self-critical perfectionism and must not be currently diagnosed with depression or anxiety disorders without receiving treatment. During the study, participants will fill out daily diaries about their moods and stress over a week, and they can expect to receive tailored feedback based on their responses. The goal is to determine which feedback method, or combination of methods, is most effective in helping students improve their coping skills and overall well-being. If successful, these programs could be offered in universities and other settings to support individuals dealing with perfectionism.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• • Individuals potentially interested in participating will be prescreened for levels of SC perfectionism and negative and positive mood.
• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Included in the study will be students who score 0.5 standard deviation above the mean score on two or more of four brief \[4- or 5-item\] measures of SC perfectionism (DEQ self-criticism, FMPS concern over mistakes, HMPS socially prescribed perfectionism, and APS-R discrepancy) for previous student samples
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Individuals who meet the criteria for a diagnosis of depression or anxiety disorders and who do not have concomitant mental health care will be excluded from the study.
• • Participants will be excluded if they fail to complete any of the Time 1 measures, or seven days of the daily diary procedure.