Perfectionism among Undergraduate Medical Students: Prevalence and Relationship to Academic Achievement, Gender, and Study Year

Authors

Hani Atwa, Medical Education Department, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain and Medical Education Department, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, EgyptFollow
Hadeel Aboueisha, Medical Education Department, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt
Shaimaa Abdelmohsen, Anatomy and Embryology Department, Faculty of Medicine for Girls, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
Asmaa Abdelnasser, Medical Education Department, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt and Health Professions Education Center, Ibn Sina National College for Medical Studies, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Purpose. Perfectionism is a personality trait characterized by striving for flawlessness and setting exceedingly high-performance standards. Medical students are often expected to be perfect, which can lead to perfectionism. Perfectionism can have both positive and negative effects on academic performance. This study aimed to explore the prevalence of perfectionism among undergraduate medical students and its relationship to academic achievement, gender, and study year. Method. A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted among 489 medical students from years 2 to 6 at a medical college in Saudi Arabia. The Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (MPS) was used to measure perfectionism, and academic achievement was assessed based on GPA. Descriptive statistics were used, and data were presented in the form of means and standard deviations, and demographic data were presented as frequencies and percentages. Responses were compared through independent samples t-test and ANOVA. Pearson’s correlation test was used to explore correlations between dependent and independent variables. The statistical significance level was set at p

Recommended Citation

Atwa, Hani; Aboueisha, Hadeel; Abdelmohsen, Shaimaa; and Abdelnasser, Asmaa (2024) "Perfectionism among Undergraduate Medical Students: Prevalence and Relationship to Academic Achievement, Gender, and Study Year," Health Professions Education: Vol. 10: Iss. 1, Article 6.
Available at: https://hpe.researchcommons.org/journal/vol10/iss1/6