Effectiveness of Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on Perfectionism: A Randomized Clinical Trial

A significant portion of the population suffers from maladaptive perfectionism, which, without appropriate psychological treatment, can lead to various psychological disorders and impairments in occupational, social, and educational functioning. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy in reducing perfectionism.

This study utilized a quasi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest and follow-up period, including a control group. The target population consisted of all students of Zanjan University of Medical Sciences in 2020. The sample was selected in two stages: first, 350 individuals were selected from the target population using convenience sampling, and the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (FMPS) was administered to them. In the second stage, individuals who scored above the diagnostic cutoff point (score equal to or higher than 90) on the FMPS were selected (n = 314). Finally, based on entry and exit criteria and the progression of subsequent stages, a sample of 40 individuals was randomly assigned to the experimental group (n = 20) and the control group (n = 20). The inclusion criteria included residence in Zanjan at the time of the study, willingness to participate in the research, and scoring above the diagnostic cutoff on the FMPS. The exclusion criteria included the onset of psychiatric illnesses during the intervention, previous experience of cognitive-behavioral interventions, particularly more than 5 sessions of cognitive-behavioral therapy, more than two consecutive absences in the group protocol, failure to participate in one of the three assessment stages, and obtaining a score of 140 or higher on the FMPS. The experimental group received group cognitive-behavioral therapy based on perfectionism once a week for 90 minutes. The participants were assessed at three-time points: pretest, posttest, and two-month follow-up. The data were analyzed using SPSS-25 software and repeated measures analysis of variance.

The results of the analysis indicated that group cognitive-behavioral therapy led to a significant improvement in overall perfectionism scores, particularly in the subscales of concerns over mistakes and parental criticism (p < 0.05). The mean pretest score for overall perfectionism in the experimental group was 83.110, which decreased to 39.98 in the posttest. For the subscale of concerns over mistakes, the mean scores at the pretest and posttest were 72.10 and 22.9, respectively. Finally, for parental criticism, the mean scores at pretest and posttest were 28.8 and 61.7, respectively. These improvements were significant compared to the control group.

The findings of this study support the effectiveness of group cognitive-behavioral therapy as an intervention that can reduce maladaptive perfectionism in individuals with perfectionistic traits. Therefore, therapists can utilize this treatment to improve perfectionism in their clients.