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To foster school engagement and reduce student burnout and anxiety in general upper secondary education, it is essential to understand, identify and support students with varying perfectionistic tendencies.

A recent study from the University of Eastern Finland explored different perfectionistic profiles among general upper secondary students, analyzing whether support from teachers, school psychologists, family and friends moderates the association of these profiles with well-being.

The study involved 2,005 Finnish students in general upper secondary education, who were categorized into four perfectionistic profiles based on their responses to an online questionnaire: concerned (relatively low strivings and relatively high concerns, 28%), ambitious (high strivings and low concerns, 28%), perfectionists (high strivings and high concerns, 24%), and non-perfectionists (low strivings and low concerns, 20%).

These profiles were consistently associated with well-being. Ambitious students had high engagement and high strivings and only a few challenges in their well-being.

Non-perfectionists did not have high strivings, nor did they have high concerns. Their school engagement was on par with that of perfectionist students, and they also reported rather high levels of well-being.

Both of the profiles characterized by high concerns, i.e., perfectionists and concerned students, were associated with poorer well-being. It is noteworthy that more than half of the general upper secondary students fell into these two profiles.

Perfectionists reported the highest levels of burnout, depressive symptoms and anxiety, and their school engagement was lower than that of ambitious students. Concerned students experienced nearly as many challenges in their well-being as perfectionists and had the lowest school engagement.

The findings, in the International Journal of Educational Research, highlight that concerns about, and dissatisfaction with, one's achievements are strongly associated with student well-being.

Well-being declines without support from family and friends

"Our study provides new insight into perfectionism, well-being and students' perceptions of support. Most general upper secondary students felt they either did not need support or that sufficient support was available. Support from teachers, family and friends was considered important," says Doctoral Researcher Anna Kuusi of the University of Eastern Finland, the lead author of the study.

Students who received adequate support from teachers reported almost as few symptoms of burnout, depression and anxiety as those who felt they did not need teacher support. Conversely, lacking support from teachers was associated with poorer well-being, regardless of the perfectionistic profile.

Findings related to support received from school psychologists were less conclusive. This may be due to the relatively small number of students seeking such support, or due to the possibility that those seeking support may be experiencing more severe symptoms. In addition, accessing psychological support may be challenging.

Support from family helped alleviate general upper secondary students' symptoms of anxiety. Students who received sufficient support from their family did not differ in anxiety symptoms from those who felt they did not need family support.

Perceived support from family and friends moderated the association of perfectionistic profiles with well-being. This means that the presence or absence of support influenced how well-being manifested across different profiles. Support from friends had the strongest interaction between perfectionism and well-being. For example, perfectionists reported the poorest well-being even when they did not need support from friends, or when sufficient support was available.

Even ambitious students who otherwise reported adaptive well-being, experienced a significant decline in well-being when support from family and friends was lacking—in such cases, they suffered as many symptoms of depression and anxiety as perfectionists. In other words, even ambitious students are not immune to the effects of lacking support from family and friends.

Young people need a safe environment to pursue their goals

High strivings and high engagement do not guarantee well-being if students are at the same time afraid of making mistakes and fear failures. The study underscores the fact that high strivings alone are not enough; young people also need a safe environment where mistakes are allowed and tolerated.

Perfectionism has increased in recent decades, alongside an increase in burnout and depressive symptoms among young people. These phenomena reflect broader societal and cultural changes, such as the impact of social media on young people's increased tendency to compare themselves to others. A better understanding of the associations between perfectionism and students' well-being is crucial, also at the level of individuals.

Research into perfectionism among young people is particularly important because adolescence is considered a key developmental phase for the emergence of perfectionism.

The study constitutes part of the WELL2—Making the Grade but Feeling Exhausted . The project seeks to examine the developmental and situational dynamics between students' motivation, perfectionism and academic well-being across upper secondary education, and to consider the role of student welfare in supporting students' learning and well-being.

Next, the researchers will explore perfectionism and its associations with well-being in vocational education and training, an area where high-striving students have not previously been studied.