Perfectionism and Burnout in More Able Students in the UK: The Moderating Role of Friendship Availability and Friendship Quality

Burnout is a recognised wellbeing issue among students, including students who are more able and talented. In addition, perfectionism (a personality trait characterised by two higher-order dimensions – personal standards perfectionism and evaluative concerns perfectionism) has been found to be a risk factor for burnout among students generally and students who are more able and talented. To build on existing research in this area, in both groups of students, we aim to: (a) re-examine these relationships using a model that distinguishes between four within-person combinations of the two higher-order perfectionism dimensions; and (b) examine whether the extent to which each perfectionism subtype is associated with burnout levels differs depending on the perceived availability and quality of friendships in school. Our research will identify which perfectionism sub-types are most vulnerable to burnout and whether this differs as a function of important friendship variables. In these regards, our results have the potential to inform targeted intervention strategies for mitigating burnout risk among student groups at a school level.