Author(s): WALERIANCZYK, W., HILL, A.P., Institution: INSTITUTE OF SPORT - NATIONAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE, Country: POLAND, Abstract-ID: 2494

Introduction
Despite increasing research into athlete mental health, the role of perfectionism in elite athletes' mental health has not been thoroughly assessed. This is notable because perfectionism is a transdiagnostic risk factor for mental health concerns outside of sport, yet uncertainty remains about whether these findings extend to elite athletes. We examined (i) the main and total effects of perfectionistic strivings (PS) and perfectionistic concerns (PC) on mental health symptoms in elite athletes and (ii) whether perfectionism was related to formal recommendations for mental health support made by sport psychologists following brief clinical intake interviews - a procedure shown to enhance the diagnostic effectiveness of athlete mental health assessment.

Methods
National and international athletes (N=805; 364 female, 441 male; aged 18-58; M=23.76, SD=5.13) from Olympic sports, including 107 Paris 2024 Olympians, participated during biannual medical check-ups at the National Centre for Sports Medicine. Athletes completed measures of perfectionism (Sport Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale-2; Performance Perfectionism Scale-Sport) and mental health symptoms using the IOC Sport Mental Health Assessment Tool 1 (SMHAT-1), which assesses psychological distress, anxiety and depressive symptoms, sleep disturbances, alcohol and drug misuse, and disordered eating. Athletes then took part in brief clinical intake interviews with qualified sport psychologists, who provided mental health recommendations on a three-level scale. Multiple regression with bias-corrected accelerated bootstrapping (5000 resamples), ordinal regression, and total unique effects of perfectionism were calculated.

Results
PC was significantly related to higher levels of all mental health symptoms and a greater likelihood of being recommended further mental health support. PS was uniquely related to higher anxiety and disordered eating. Total unique effects of perfectionism were positive for all outcomes: large for psychological distress, anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbances; medium for disordered eating; and small for alcohol and drugs misuse. The total unique effect on mental health recommendations was also positive and large. PC consistently made the larger contribution to explained variance (75-87%).

Discussion
The results suggest perfectionism is a transdiagnostic risk factor for mental health difficulties among elite athletes. While PC is the primary driver, PS also contributes. Overall, perfectionism is related to higher levels of all measured mental health symptoms. Crucially, higher perfectionism also increased the likelihood of requiring specialist mental health support as determined by clinical interviews. These findings call for a more realistic appraisal of perfectionism in elite sport and highlight the need for tailored interventions addressing perfectionistic tendencies as part of safeguarding athlete mental health.