A Study on the Relationship Between Rumination, Perfectionism, and Academic Self-Handicapping Among College Students

This study aims to investigate the prevalence of rumination, perfectionism, and academic self-handicapping among college students, analyze demographic differences across gender and grade levels, and examine the interrelationships among these three constructs. This study employed a questionnaire survey method to assess 166 college students (70 males, 96 females). Independent samples t-tests and one-way ANOVA were employed to examine gender and grade differences in rumination, perfectionism, academic self-handicapping, and their respective dimensions.Pearson correlation analysis was employed to examine the correlations among rumination, perfectionism, academic self-handicapping, and their dimensions. Bootstrap sampling (5,000 repetitions) was employed to determine the significance of perfectionism's mediating effect between rumination and academic self-handicapping. The results indicate: 1) No significant gender or grade differences exist in rumination, perfectionism, academic self-handicapping, or their respective dimensions. 2) Negative perfectionism shows significant positive correlations with academic self-handicapping, total rumination scores, and all rumination dimensions. Positive perfectionism showed no significant correlations with academic self-handicapping, rumination, or its dimensions (except parental expectations, personal standards, and negative perfectionism). 3) Academic self-sabotage was significantly positively correlated with rumination. 4) Negative perfectionism partially mediated the relationship between rumination and academic self-handicapping; the mediating effect of positive perfectionism was not significant. Conclusion: College students' rumination, perfectionism, and academic self-handicapping levels are relatively stable and unaffected by gender or grade level. Rumination not only directly promotes academic self-handicapping but also indirectly increases the likelihood of students engaging in such behaviors by elevating negative perfectionism levels.