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Open Access CC BY-NC-ND V4.0
Journal article
The impact of perfectionism on treatment outcomes of mental health disorders: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials
Cognitive behaviour therapy
2025
PMID: 40856635
Abstract
Perfectionism is associated with multiple mental health disorders, but its role as a prognostic factor in treatment outcomes remains debated. This systematic review assessed the impact of perfectionism on mental health disorder treatment outcomes. Seven databases were searched from to 11 October 2024, for randomised controlled trials that examined the relationship between perfectionism and treatment outcomes. A citation search was also performed. Sixteen randomised controlled trials with 2197 participants were included. Of these, fifteen explored how baseline perfectionism impacted primary mental health disorder treatment outcomes for eating disorders (N = 4), anxiety disorders (N = 3), obsessive-compulsive disorder (N = 3), major depressive disorder (N = 2), mixed depressive disorders (N = 2) and body dysmorphic disorder (N = 1). Nine of these fifteen studies (56%) found higher baseline perfectionism was associated with poorer treatment outcomes, while five (38%) found no significant association, and one (6%) reported mixed findings. Four out of five studies with children and adolescents reported negative impacts of baseline perfectionism. Overall, baseline perfectionism appears to have a mix of negative and non-significant effects on treatment outcomes across age groups. Limitations include the high risk of bias in some studies and the absence of meta-analyses. Clinicians should assess for perfectionism and address it when it hinders progress.
Details
- Title
- The impact of perfectionism on treatment outcomes of mental health disorders: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials
- Authors/Creators
- Zhaohong Jiang - UCL, UCL Great Ormond St Inst Child Hlth, Fac Populat Hlth Sci, London, EnglandSarah J. Egan - Curtin Univ, enAble Inst, Fac Hlth Sci, Perth, WA, AustraliaDanyelle Greene - Univ Queensland, Business Sch, Brisbane, Qld, AustraliaMacey Frost - UCL, UCL Great Ormond St Inst Child Hlth, Fac Populat Hlth Sci, London, EnglandYu Ma - UCL, UCL Great Ormond St Inst Child Hlth, Fac Populat Hlth Sci, London, EnglandRoz Shafran - UCL, UCL Great Ormond St Inst Child Hlth, Fac Populat Hlth Sci, London, England
- Publication Details
- Cognitive behaviour therapy
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
- Number of pages
- 21
- Identifiers
- 991005881353207891
- Copyright
- © 2025 The Author(s).
- Murdoch Affiliation
- School of Psychology
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
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1 Record Views
InCites Highlights
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Citation topics
- 1 Clinical & Life Sciences
- 1.21 Psychiatry
- 1.21.2270 Perfectionism and Procrastination
- Web Of Science research areas
- Behavioral Sciences
- Psychology, Clinical
- ESI research areas
- Psychiatry/Psychology