Abstract

Introduction- Perfectionism is an irrational or illogic belief that people have about themselves and their surroundings. Depression is one of the results of extreme perfectionism. Perfectionism and depression are of the factors influencing on academic progress. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between perfectionism and depression with academic achievement in the students of Ilam University of Medical Sciences. Methodology-200 students of Ilam University of Medical Sciences were enrolled in this study by classification sampling method. Data collection was performed using Frost Multi-Dimensional Perfectionism Scale (FMPS) and Beck Depression Questionnaire. The questionnaire reliability was confirmed by Alpha coefficient of 87. The FMPS questionnaire has six sub-scales. The collected data were analyzed using the SPSS16 software and Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Findings- There was no significant relationship between gender, educational field, semester and faculty with depression, while a significant relationship was seen between the sex and some of the sub-scales of perfectionism (P <0.01). There was a significant and negative correlation between the depression (P =0.04, r=-0.193) and the parental criticism (P=0.000, r =0.346). Conclusion-Depression and parental criticism were the effective factors on academic achievement.