The double-edged nature of multidimensional perfectionism: career adaptability in employment stress among college students.

Background: As job opportunities become more competitive, the job search process has become a salient source of stress for college students. From a psychological perspective, differences in stress experiences are closely related to how individuals manage and expend their psychological resources. Methods: Based on Conservation of Resources theory, this study used well established scales and conducted a survey among 900 college students from 3 universities in China. The study focused on perfectionism as an individual difference characteristic, examined the associations between its different orientations and employment stress among college students, and further explored the role of career adaptability in these associations. Results: The results showed different association patterns for the two forms of perfectionism. Positive perfectionism (organization- and orderliness-oriented perfectionism) was associated with lower levels of employment stress, whereas negative perfectionism was more often accompanied by higher levels of employment stress. In addition, career adaptability showed indirect associations between both forms of perfectionism and employment stress. Conclusion: These findings provide empirical evidence for understanding differences in psychological resources among college students during the job search stage and offer references for the development of related support initiatives.