Character buffers, but connection amplifies: The moderating role of academic positive youth development on the perfectionism-distress link

Perfectionism has been linked to psychological distress among students, yet less is known about the developmental strengths that may shape this relation, particularly in collectivistic school contexts. This study explored the moderating role of the 5Cs of Academic Positive Youth Development (APYD) – competence, confidence, connection, character, and compassion – on the association between academic perfectionism and psychological distress. Data were obtained from 725 Filipino secondary school students (Mage = 17.20; SDage = 0.95; 56% males). Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted, controlling for students’ gender, age, socio-economic status, and grade point averages. Results showed that perfectionism and character were positively associated with distress, while confidence and connection were negatively related to distress. Interaction analyses revealed character and connection as significant moderators above and beyond the influence of covariates. Simple slopes analyses show that whereas character weakened the relation between perfectionism and distress, connection strengthened the association between perfectionism and distress. These findings highlight the complex roles of developmental strengths in shaping the psychological consequences of perfectionism and underscore the value of cultivating adaptive character traits to support student well-being, particularly in low- and middle-income collectivistic settings like the Philippines.