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The Relationship Between Perfectionism, Stress and Burnout in Clinical Psychologists

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 February 2012

Fiona D'Souza ,
Sarah J. Egan  and
Clare S. Rees
Fiona D'Souza
Affiliation:
School of Psychology and Speech Pathology, Curtin University, and Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute, Perth, Australia.
Sarah J. Egan*
Affiliation:
School of Psychology and Speech Pathology, Curtin University, and Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute, Perth, Australia. s.egan@curtin.edu.au
Clare S. Rees
Affiliation:
School of Psychology and Speech Pathology, Curtin University, and Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute, Perth, Australia.
*
*Address for correspondence: Sarah Egan, School of Psychology and Speech Pathology, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth WA 6845, Australia.
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Abstract

Perfectionism has been suggested as a risk factor for the development of stress and burnout in psychotherapists, but this has not been extensively investigated. This study examined the relationship between perfectionism, stress and burnout in 87 Australian clinical psychologists. Stress had significant influences on the relationship between perfectionism and burnout. Specifically, stress was found to be a partial intervening variable in the relationship between perfectionism and personal burnout. In addition, stress was also found to completely mediate the influence of perfectionism on work-related and client-related burnout. The results indicated that perfectionism was both directly and indirectly related through stress to various types of burnout in clinical psychologists. Implications of the findings for research in to the utility of intervention for high levels of perfectionism in clinical psychologists are discussed.

Keywords

perfectionismstressburnoutclinicalpsychologist
Type
Standard Papers
Information
Behaviour Change , Volume 28 , Issue 1 , 01 May 2011 , pp. 17 - 28
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

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