Examining the Relationship Between Academic Stress, Maladaptive Perfectionism and Trauma-Related Responses Among University Students

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This is an unedited manuscript accepted for publication and provided as an Article in Press for early access at the author’s request. The article will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and galley proof review before final publication. Please be aware that errors may be identified during production that could affect the content. All legal disclaimers of the journal apply.

Year : 2025 | Volume : 02 | 02 | Page :
    By

    Archie Kapoor,

  • Rita Kumar,

  1. Student, Department of Applied Psychology, Amity Institute of Psychology & Allied Sciences, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
  2. Professor, Department of Applied Psychology, Amity Institute of Psychology & Allied Sciences, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India

Abstract

Academic stress is a significant concern among university students, frequently contributing to maladaptive perfectionism and trauma-like responses. While perfectionism can enhance performance, its maladaptive variant may be exacerbated by academic stress which can induce trauma-like responses. This study investigates the correlation between academic stress, maladaptive perfectionism and trauma-like responses. Validated self-report measures were used in a quantitative, correlational study involving 101 university students. Linear regression analysis and Kendall’s Tau-B correlation were used because of non-normal data distribution. The results showed that maladaptive perfectionism and academic stress were significantly correlated (τ= 0.315, p< 0.001). The strongest correlation was found between academic stress and parental expectations & criticism (τ= 0.342, p< 0.001). There was a weak yet significant correlation between trauma-like responses and maladaptive perfectionism (τ= 0.149, p= 0.030), while trauma-like responses correlated significantly with academic stress (τ= 0.148, p= 0.032). These relationships were further corroborated by regression analysis, which showed that the model explained 22.9% of the variation (R2= 0.229, F (2, 97) = 14.4, P< 0.001). The findings underline the necessity of focused interventions in academic contexts by demonstrating the substantial influence of academic stress on maladaptive perfectionism as well as trauma-like responses.

Keywords: Maladaptive Perfectionism, Academic Stress, Trauma-related responses, Parental expectations

How to cite this article:
Archie Kapoor, Rita Kumar. Examining the Relationship Between Academic Stress, Maladaptive Perfectionism and Trauma-Related Responses Among University Students. International Journal of Education Sciences. 2025; 02(02):-.
How to cite this URL:
Archie Kapoor, Rita Kumar. Examining the Relationship Between Academic Stress, Maladaptive Perfectionism and Trauma-Related Responses Among University Students. International Journal of Education Sciences. 2025; 02(02):-. Available from: https://journals.stmjournals.com/ijes/article=2025/view=227043


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Ahead of Print Subscription Original Research
Volume 02
02
Received 28/05/2025
Accepted 14/08/2025
Published 13/09/2025
Publication Time 108 Days
122

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