The Impact of Social–Academic Pressures on University Students’ Mental Health: The Role of Perfectionism and Self-Compassion

Abstract

This study aimed to explore university students’ lived experiences of social–academic pressures and clarify how perfectionism and self-compassion contribute to the intensification or alleviation of their psychological consequences. A qualitative design based on reflexive thematic analysis was employed. The participants were 24 university students aged 19–32 years who were studying at universities in Tehran, Iran. They were recruited through purposive maximum-variation sampling to achieve diversity in gender, academic level, field of study, and university type. Data were collected exclusively through individual semi-structured interviews lasting approximately 45–75 minutes. Sampling and interviewing continued until theoretical and meaning saturation was reached. No substantively new category emerged after the twenty-first interview, and three additional interviews were conducted to confirm the adequacy and coherence of the developing themes. All interviews were audio-recorded with consent, transcribed verbatim, organized using NVivo 14, and analyzed according to Braun and Clarke’s phases of thematic analysis. Reflexive memoing, participant reflection, peer debriefing, an analytic audit trail, and maximum-variation sampling were used to enhance the credibility and transparency of the study. Four main categories were identified: “multilayered pressure to succeed and be recognized,” “internalization of pressure through self-critical perfectionism,” “gradual deterioration of mental health and everyday functioning,” and “self-compassion as a psychological buffer and self-regulatory mechanism.” Participants experienced academic demands as intertwined with parental expectations, social comparison, uncertain employment prospects, financial concerns, and idealized representations of success on social media. Perfectionistic concerns, particularly fear of mistakes and performance-contingent self-worth, transformed these pressures into rumination, anxiety, procrastination, sleep disturbance, emotional exhaustion, and social withdrawal. Self-kindness, recognition of common humanity, mindful acceptance of distress, realistic goal setting, and help-seeking reduced the perceived severity of stressful experiences. Social–academic pressures appear most psychologically harmful when they are internalized as rigid perfectionistic standards and conditional self-worth. Self-compassion can protect students without diminishing achievement motivation by reducing self-criticism, interrupting repetitive negative thinking, and facilitating recovery and support-seeking. Universities should integrate self-compassion education with structural reforms addressing excessive competition, unclear academic expectations, and inaccessible mental health services.