Perfectionistic Cognitions, Self-Compassion, and Psychological Distress Among Veterinary Students

Veterinary students may be at risk for experiencing mental health concerns. Some scholars have suggested that maladaptive perfectionism is a contributing factor, although little research has examined this empirically. The main objectives of this study were to explore the relationships between perfectionistic cognitions, self-compassion, and psychological distress among 472 Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) students in the United States. Veterinary students reported experiencing more frequent perfectionistic cognitions than a normative non-clinical sample of college students. There were no significant differences in overall psychological distress between veterinary students and a normative clinical sample of college students seeking services at university counseling centers. Participants who reported experiencing more frequent perfectionistic cognitions also tended to report lower self-compassion and greater psychological distress. Self-compassion mediated the relationship between perfectionistic cognitions and psychological distress, which suggests that improving self-compassion may be one way of reducing the impacts of maladaptive perfectionism on veterinary students' mental health.