Guided Parent-Delivered Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Perfectionism research study
About this study
What is the purpose of the project? You are invited to participate in an evaluation of a guided parent delivered cognitive behaviour therapy to children aged 7 to 12 who experience perfectionism that causes them stress. This Participant Information Sheet tells you about the research project and explains what is involved in taking part. Please read the information carefully and ask questions about anything that you don’t understand or want to know more about.
Research TeamProfessor Tracey Wade, Professor Roz Shafran, Assoc Professor Sarah Egan
InstitutionFlinders University & Institute for Mental Health & Wellbeing
Ethics Approval NumberThe Human Research Ethics Committee Flinders University (HREC 5816) / Curtin University Human Research Ethics Committee (HRE2023-0652)
Project Start Date1 April 2024
Project End Date31 December 2024
ParticipantsParents of children aged 7 to 12 who experience perfectionism that causes them stress.
What is InvolvedWhat will I be asked to do?
We will ask you and your child to complete a short online questionnaire (about 30 minutes). We will ask you to report on your own perfectionism (e.g., have you felt a failure as a person because you have not succeeded in meeting your goals?) as well as your child’s body image (e.g., my child gets uptight or nervous about their body shape) and disordered eating (my child restricts or diets in order to control their weight). We will ask your child to report on their perfectionism (e.g., I have high standards for performance at work or at school), stress (e.g., how often do you feel worried about your grades or school?), any depressive symptoms (e.g., I felt down and unhappy), satisfaction with school and academic confidence (e.g., How well do you succeed in finishing all your homework every day).
Once the assessment is completed, parents will be randomly assigned to either receive the intervention straight away or in 18-weeks. When you receive the intervention, you will first be emailed a pdf workbook and allocated a postgraduate clinical psychology student as a session guide, who will email you to organise a schedule for 6 x online sessions (up to 4 hours total contact in total). Each session will involve collaboratively setting an agenda for the session based on your experience with the preceding week’s homework (an exercise with your child designed to consolidate and practice the skills learnt during the session), current issues, and new material for the coming week.
Whether you receive the intervention immediately or not, you and your child will be asked to complete weekly measures of perfectionism on four occasions (about 10 minutes) after the initial assessment, and then asked to complete the full assessment again 6- and 18-weeks after the initial assessment.
What benefits will I gain from being involved in the project?
By participating in this research, you will help us understand whether this intervention reduces children’s perfectionism and any distress that it causes, as well as whether it can improve a child’s enjoyment of school and academic pursuits.
Are there any risks or discomforts if I am involved?
Some people may find it uncomfortable to answer questions which are part of the assessment. If the questions upset you in any way, we suggest that you or your child stop filling them out and contact an appropriate free service. For adults this would be Beyond Blue (1300 224 636) or Lifeline (13 11 44); for children this would be Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800). Your child may also find it challenging to change their perfectionistic approach, but our previous research suggests that when young people persist with the techniques, they feel better. Change that brings benefit usually causes some anxiety along the way.
We will ask you and your child to complete a short online questionnaire (about 30 minutes). We will ask you to report on your own perfectionism (e.g., have you felt a failure as a person because you have not succeeded in meeting your goals?) as well as your child’s body image (e.g., my child gets uptight or nervous about their body shape) and disordered eating (my child restricts or diets in order to control their weight). We will ask your child to report on their perfectionism (e.g., I have high standards for performance at work or at school), stress (e.g., how often do you feel worried about your grades or school?), any depressive symptoms (e.g., I felt down and unhappy), satisfaction with school and academic confidence (e.g., How well do you succeed in finishing all your homework every day).
Once the assessment is completed, parents will be randomly assigned to either receive the intervention straight away or in 18-weeks. When you receive the intervention, you will first be emailed a pdf workbook and allocated a postgraduate clinical psychology student as a session guide, who will email you to organise a schedule for 6 x online sessions (up to 4 hours total contact in total). Each session will involve collaboratively setting an agenda for the session based on your experience with the preceding week’s homework (an exercise with your child designed to consolidate and practice the skills learnt during the session), current issues, and new material for the coming week.
Whether you receive the intervention immediately or not, you and your child will be asked to complete weekly measures of perfectionism on four occasions (about 10 minutes) after the initial assessment, and then asked to complete the full assessment again 6- and 18-weeks after the initial assessment.
What benefits will I gain from being involved in the project?
By participating in this research, you will help us understand whether this intervention reduces children’s perfectionism and any distress that it causes, as well as whether it can improve a child’s enjoyment of school and academic pursuits.
Are there any risks or discomforts if I am involved?
Some people may find it uncomfortable to answer questions which are part of the assessment. If the questions upset you in any way, we suggest that you or your child stop filling them out and contact an appropriate free service. For adults this would be Beyond Blue (1300 224 636) or Lifeline (13 11 44); for children this would be Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800). Your child may also find it challenging to change their perfectionistic approach, but our previous research suggests that when young people persist with the techniques, they feel better. Change that brings benefit usually causes some anxiety along the way.
Contact Details
maya.jabs@flinders.edu.au