1. Introduction
Previous studies have indicated that the desire to achieve perfectionism is very common among medical students which has different consequences [1, 2]; Perfectionism has two dimensions, maladaptive and adaptive [3]. Maladaptive perfectionism is one of the factors affecting the symptoms of anxiety and depression in medical students [4]. Adaptive perfectionism is associated with academic achievement and motivation, while maladaptive perfectionism is associated with depression and academic burnout [5]. Few studies have examined the areas in which medical interns are perfection. By examining and having accurate knowledge of these areas, it is possible to formulate and provide appropriate educational and therapeutic interventions for these students. In this regard, the present study aims to investigate the perfectionism state in medical interns and the role of demographic factors.
2. Methods
This is a cross-sectional study. The study population consists of general medicine interns at Guilan University of Medical Sciences in 2021. Willingness to participate in the research was considered as the inclusion criterion and return of incomplete questionnaires (not answering to at least 10% of the questions) was the exclusion criterion. The sample size was calculated 125. In order to reduce the effect of sample drop and the effect of non-random sampling, the sample size was increased by 60% and reached 200. Samples were selected using a convenience sampling method from Poursina, Shafa, Razi, Heshmat, 17 Shahrivar, Al-Zahra, Amir al-Momenin, and Velayat hospitals.
In order to collect data, a demographic form surveying students’ age, gender, marital status, history of psychiatric illness and history of physical illness) and the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (FMPS) [6] were used. Data were collected in a one-month period from May 20 to June 20, 2021, by visiting the mentioned hospitals and after explaining the study objectives to the participants and obtaining their informed consent. It was lasted for 20 minutes to complete the questionnaires. Data analysis was performed in SPSS v.19 software.
3. Results
Out of 200 distributed questionnaires, only 169 returned completed (participation rate=84.5%). The rest were incomplete or distorted and were then excluded from the analysis. The mean scores of maladaptive and adaptive perfectionism were 62.4±12.2 and 45.1±5.6, respectively. The results of Kolmogorov-Smirnov test showed that the distribution of data in the variables of concern over mistakes (P=0.431), parental expectations (P=0.144), personal standards (P=0.127), maladaptive perfectionism score (P=0.168) and adaptive perfectionism score (P=0.394) was normal (P>0.05), but in the variables of doubts about actions (P=0.004), parental criticism (P=0.224) and organization (P=0.019) it was not normal (P<0.05). 
The results showed that students under the age of 25 years obtained higher scores in subscale of concern over mistakes (P= 0.002). Male students scored higher in parental expectations (P=0.002) and personal standards (P=0.044). Married students had higher scores in parental expectations (P=0.031) and parental criticism (P=0.002) and lower scores in personal standards (P=0.002). Students with a history of physical illness score higher in parental criticism (P=0.006) and had lower score in organization (P=0.045). Furthermore, maladaptive perfectionism was more in married students (P=0.018), while adaptive perfectionism was lower in them (P=0.018) (P<0.05). 
4. Conclusion
The purpose of this study was to investigate perfectionism in medical interns in Guilan, Iran and assess the role of demographic factors. The results showed that maladaptive perfectionism was at moderate level and adaptive perfectionism was at high level. Age <25 years, male gender, and marital status played significant roles in perfectionism. Married students had more maladaptive perfectionism while single students reported more adaptive perfectionism. Previous studies have shown that medical students have high level of perfectionism, which is consistent with the results of the present study [4, 5].
It can be concluded that demographic factors such as young age, gender and marital status can affect perfectionism in medical interns. It is recommended to provide appropriate educational interventions for these students to reduce their maladaptive perfectionism based on the mentioned demographic factors. Moreover, further studies are recommended using a larger sample size and comparing the level of perfectionism between medical and non-medical students. This had some limitations such as the use of a self-report tool, convenience sampling method, and unequal distribution of students based on demographic characteristics, which can limit the generalizability of results. Moreover, the generalization of the results should be done with caution.

Ethical Considerations
Compliance with ethical guidelines
This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Guilan University of Medical Sciences (Code: IR.GUMS.REC.1400.077). Ethical principles are fully observed in this article. Participants were allowed to leave the study whenever they wished. Also, all participants were aware of the research process. Their information was kept confidential.

Funding
The study did not receive any funding from public, commercial, or nonprofit funding organizations.

Authors' contributions
Conceptualization, Supervision, Project Administration: Ali Pourramzani; Validation and Analysis, Editing and Review: Sajjad Saadat; Investigation: All authors; Initial Draft Preparation: Ali Pourramzani, Seyedeh Sara Alyasin.

Conflicts of interest
The authors declared no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the Vice Chancellor for Research and Technology of Guilan University of Medical Sciences and all the interns participated in the study.


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