A mini-meta-analysis of perfectionism and burnout in university students

The mental health and wellbeing of students continues to be a growing concern for universities. As described in a recent UK parliamentary briefing paper, based on on Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) data, just over 5% of university students reported a mental health condition in 2020-21 in comparison to 1% in 2010-11, which is the equivalent of over 119k students (Lewis & Bolton, 2023). Similar data is reported in other countries (e.g., Mahon et al., 2023). As highlighted in the briefing paper, too, other estimates of the prevalence of these issues are much larger. This is particularly the case when more general issues of wellbeing, stress, and anxiety are the focus (>50%). To address the deterioration of students’ mental health, the higher education sector has made mental health a key strategic focus. Part of this important work includes identifying antecedents of student wellbeing and embedding research-based evidence in the policies and practice of universities. The current study aims to help do so by providing the first multi-sample, meta-analytical test of the relationship between multidimensional perfectionism and burnout in university students.