Perfectionism as a Predictor of Fear of Failure and Academic Resilience Among Female Athletes

Abstract

Aim of the Study: The purpose of this study was to investigate the predictive relationship between perfectionism and fear of failure and academic resilience among female university athletes. It also examined the differences between these outcomes by university. Methodology: A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted, involving 643 female athletes from the four Universities of Lahore in Pakistan. The APS-R, PFAI and ARS-30 were used to measure perfectionism, fear of failure and academic resilience, respectively. The data were analyzed by Pearson correlation, regression analysis and one-way ANOVA. Results: Academic resilience was also significantly associated with adaptive perfectionism (r = .339, p < .001) and maladaptive perfectionism (r = .349, p < .001). None of the dimensions was a significant predictor of fear of failure. The two dimensions of perfectionism explained 13.4% of the variance in academic resilience (R2 = .134, p < .001), but there was no significant prediction of fear of failure (R2 = .002, p = .564). There was a significant difference in academic resilience between universities, but not in fear of failure. Conclusion: Perfectionism was significantly related to and predicted academic resilience, but was not a significant predictor of fear of failure. The results emphasize the need to view perfectionism as a multi-dimensional phenomenon among female university athletes.