An evaluation on the relationship between exercise addiction and perfectionism: The case of Balıkesir University Faculty of Sport Sciences

In the present study, it was aimed to examine the levels of exercise addiction and perfectionism among university students and to determine the relationship between these two constructs. Additionally, differences were analyzed based on demographic variables such as gender, year of study, academic department, type of sport, years of sport participation, and weekly exercise frequency. The sample consisted of 381 undergraduate students studying in the Faculty of Sport Sciences. The data were collected using the Exercise Dependence Scale and the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale-2 adapted for Turkish athletes. Data analysis included Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis H Test, Spearman Correlation Analysis, and Multiple Regression Analysis. According to the findings, no significant difference was found in exercise addiction scores based on gender, year of study, department, or sport type, whereas a significant gender difference was found in perfectionism levels, with male students scoring higher than females (p<0.001). Exercise addiction levels increased significantly with longer sport experience and higher weekly exercise frequency (p<0.05). In particular, students who exercised 6 or 7 days a week had higher scores in both exercise addiction and perfectionism. A moderate, positive, and statistically significant correlation was observed between exercise addiction and perfectionism (r=0.570; p<0.01). Multiple regression analysis revealed that the subdimensions of perfectionism-personal standards, doubts about actions, and organization-were significant predictors of exercise addiction. The results indicate that increased perfectionism may elevate the risk of exercise addiction, particularly when driven by internal pressures related to self-oriented perfectionism. In this regard, it is recommended that healthy exercise attitudes be promoted among individuals engaged in sports, awareness of the adaptive and maladaptive aspects of perfectionism be enhanced, and psychological dimensions of exercise behavior not be overlooked. Keywords: Exercise, addiction, perfectionism, university students, psychological factors