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Psycho-Education and Group Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy for Clinical Perfectionism: A Case-Series Evaluation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 August 2012

Anna L. Steele ,
Sue Waite ,
Sarah J. Egan ,
Janelle Finnigan ,
Alicia Handley  and
Tracey D. Wade
Anna L. Steele
Affiliation:
Adelaide Health Service, Australia
Sue Waite
Affiliation:
Adelaide Health Service, Australia
Sarah J. Egan*
Affiliation:
Curtin University, Australia
Janelle Finnigan
Affiliation:
Curtin University, Australia
Alicia Handley
Affiliation:
Curtin University, Australia
Tracey D. Wade
Affiliation:
Flinders University, Australia
*
Reprint requests to Sarah Egan, School of Psychology and Speech Pathology and Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, Western Australia, Australia6847. E-mail: s.egan@curtin.edu.au
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Abstract

Background: Research indicates that psycho-education and cognitive behavioural interventions can reduce perfectionism but to date no group treatments have been examined. Aims: The current study utilized a case series design to compare psycho-education materials and subsequent eight-week group cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) to a baseline waitlist in an outpatient community psychiatry sample (n = 21). Method: Participants were assessed on five occasions: baseline, 4 weeks later (waitlist), 4 weeks after receiving psycho-education material, post-treatment (8 weeks after receiving the group intervention), and 3-month follow-up. Results: There was a main effect of time for perfectionism and negative affect from baseline to post-group (effect sizes ranging from 1.46 to 1.91) that were maintained at 3-month follow-up. Conclusions: These results suggested that group CBT for clinical perfectionism may be beneficial, but that psycho-education alone is not effective for reducing perfectionism or negative affect.

Keywords

Perfectionismcognitive behaviour therapy
Type
Empirically Grounded Clinical Interventions
Information
Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy , Volume 41 , Issue 2 , March 2013 , pp. 129 - 143
Copyright
Copyright © British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies 2012

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