Unified and distinct cognitive control deficits in adolescents with cognitive disengagement syndrome and learning burnout.

Introduction: Cognitive disengagement syndrome (CDS) is a psychological disorder characterized by daydreaming, mental fogginess, and slow thinking, while learning burnout (LB) is characterized by a passive and inattentive attitude toward learning. These two disorders are closely related but can be challenging to differentiate from one another. The present study aimed to identify shared and distinct cognitive control deficits between CDS and LB. Methods: We recruited 136 adolescents (aged 14 to 17 years) from an initial screening of CDS and LB (N = 476) and divided them into four groups: CDS, LB, CDS + LB, and typically developing control. After a second screening, 129 adolescents completed two tasks to assess their attentional networks and cognitive control capacity (CCC). Results: Adolescents with high CDS symptoms (both CDS group and CDS+LB group) exhibited impaired disengaging effect of attention and lower CCC, indicating deficits in orienting attention and the upper limit of information processing for cognitive control specifically. Furthermore, support vector machine modeling identified CCC as the most significant parameter differentiating the CDS and LB groups. Discussion: Our findings suggest that while adolescents with high CDS and high LB symptoms have similar outward manifestations in the adolescent's school life, deficits in attention and cognitive control, particularly in the CCC, may distinguish between the two groups.

Analysing influencing factors and correlation paths of learning burnout among secondary vocational students in the context of social media: An integrated ISM-MICMAC approach.

By analysing the factors influencing secondary vocational students' learning burnout in the context of social media, this study unearthed the underlying causes of learning burnout. It also determined the correlation paths among the factors influencing learning burnout, providing references for educational and pedagogical improvement. This contributes to preventing secondary vocational students' learning burnout and enhancing learning efficiency in secondary vocational schools. Combined with previous research results and a theoretical basis, this study identifies 10 influencing factors employing the Delphi method, and uses Interpretative Structural Modelling (ISM) and Matrice d' Impacts Croisés Multiplication Appliqués à un Classement (MICMAC) to elucidate the relationship between influencing factors of learning burnout among secondary vocational students in the context of social media. This study also constructs a corresponding mechanism model and subsequently proposes prevention and improvement strategies. The results show that the overdevelopment of social media, as driving factors, has the greatest impact on secondary vocational students' learning burnout. Simultaneously, it takes the lead in addressing cognitive bias among students, decreased self-control, and low learning efficiency, factors that contribute to learning burnout. This is particularly beneficial in alleviating the degree of learning burnout among secondary vocational students in the context of social media and improves overall learning outcomes for these students. The hierarchical structure and correlation paths identified in this study offer robust invaluable guidance for developing a scientific program to address the problem of learning burnout among this demographic. This includes implementing related educational practises, thereby reducing the unpredictability of the practical applications.

Unraveling the longitudinal relationships between connectedness to nature, depressive symptoms, and learning burnout in adolescents.

INTRODUCTION: Following the conservation of resource theory and natural stress reduction theory, the current study investigated mediated pathways, reverse mediated pathways, and reciprocal pathways between connectedness to nature, depressive symptoms, and adolescent learning burnout via a half-longitudinal analysis, and discussed gender differences in the three models. METHODS: Two waves of data were collected in December 2022 (T1) and June 2023 (T2) for this study. The sample consisted of 1092 Chinese adolescents (52.20% girls, Mage = 13.03, SD = 1.43). Semi-longitudinal analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between connectedness to nature, depressive symptoms, and adolescent academic burnout. RESULTS: The results indicated that connectedness to nature can serve as a positive resource to alleviate the levels of depressive symptoms among adolescents and thereby decrease learning burnout. However, the protective effect of connectedness to nature was smaller, and the decreasing effect of learning burnout on connectedness to nature was stronger than the alleviating effect of connectedness to nature on learning burnout. Additionally, the study found that depressive symptoms and academic burnout have a mutually reinforcing effect over time and that the effects of this interaction are more pronounced in females. CONCLUSIONS: The present study emphasizes the protective role of nature connectedness and the detrimental effects of learning burnout in adolescents.

The Impact of Perceived Discrimination on Mobile Phone Addiction Among Chinese Higher Vocational College Students: A Chain Mediating Role of Negative Emotions and Learning Burnout.

Purpose: Perceived discrimination among higher vocational college students is a prevalent issue in China and is linked to various mental and behavioral problems, including mobile phone addiction. Yet, the mechanisms underlying the relationship between perceived discrimination and mobile phone addiction remain ambiguous. Methods: To address this issue, we recruited 1253 higher vocational college students to elucidate the relationship between perceived discrimination and mobile phone addiction. Participants completed a series of self-report questionnaires assessing perceived discrimination, mobile phone addiction, negative emotions, and learning burnout. Results: Our findings suggest that perceived discrimination positively influences mobile phone addiction. The negative emotions and learning burnout play mediating effects between perceived discrimination and mobile phone addiction, respectively. Notably, we observe a chain mediating role of negative emotions and learning burnout play between perceived discrimination and mobile phone addiction. Conclusion: The results of our study demonstrate that higher vocational college students who perceived stronger discrimination are inclined to exhibit heightened emotional, cognitive, and learning challenges, such as increased negative emotions and learning burnout, which contribute to more serious excessive mobile phone use. These findings elucidate the mechanisms underlying the relationship between perceived discrimination and mobile phone addiction, enriching our understanding of the underlying emotional, cognitive, and learning dynamics in higher vocational college students.

Effect of fear of missing out on learning burnout in medical students: a moderated mediation.

Introduction: Learning burnout has a significant negative impact on students' academic performance and professional development, which has been exacerbated by the growing trend of problematic smartphone use, such as smartphone addiction, among young people. Recently, the literature on excessive social media use has revealed a critical role of fear of missing out. Objective The purpose of this study was to examine how fear of missing out affects smartphone addiction and its subsequent effect on learning burnout in college students. Methods: In Study 1, 352 medical students were recruited to complete a cross-sectional survey. In Study 2, 2,948 college students were recruited to complete a cross-sectional survey. Further in Study 3, 30 medical students were recruited into a mindfulness-based intervention program. Results: Study 1 preliminarily confirmed that fear of missing out was positively correlated with learning burnout. Study 2 then revealed a moderated mediation model showing that fear of missing out may increase smartphone addiction, which in turn affects their sleep quality and finally leads to learning burnout. This chain mediation model was moderated by the participants' level of mindfulness. To confirm the promoting role of mindfulness, Study 3 further confirmed that mindfulness training indeed can improve smartphone addiction and reduce learning burnout in medical students. Discussion: Theoretical and practical contributions were discussed, highlighting the effects of fear of missing out on smartphone addiction and a moderating role of mindfulness training.

Academic Motivation and Social Support: Mediating and Moderating the Life Satisfaction and Learning Burnout Link.

Background: The phenomenon of university students' learning burnout has attracted the research of many scholars because of its typicality. This study aims to explore the relationship between life satisfaction, academic motivation, social support and learning burnout among university students and its underlying mechanisms. Methods: A total of 1917 university students participated in this cross-sectional study. Research instruments included the Adolescent Student Life Satisfaction Scale, University Students' Academic Motivation Questionnaire, Adolescent Learning Burnout Scale and Adolescent Social Support Scale. The data analysis comprised descriptive statistics, correlation analyses, and assessment of multicollinearity through Variance Inflation Factor (VIF). Advanced analyses were conducted using Model 4 for mediation and Model 1 for moderation from the PROCESS macro. Results: (1) life satisfaction significantly and positively predicts academic motivation; (2) academic motivation significantly and negatively predicts learning burnout; and (3) life satisfaction significantly and negatively predicts learning burnout; (4) academic motivation partially mediates the effect of life satisfaction on learning burnout; and (5) social support plays a moderating role in the effect of academic motivation on learning burnout. Discussions: These results illuminate the complex web of relationships among life satisfaction, academic motivation, social support, and learning burnout. The partial mediating role of academic motivation underscores its significance in the link between life satisfaction and learning burnout. Additionally, the moderating impact of social support emphasizes its role in ameliorating or exacerbating the effects of academic motivation on learning burnout. Conclusion: These findings can help researchers and educators better understand the underlying mechanisms between life satisfaction and learning burnout. Meanwhile, the results of the study can provide practical and effective operational suggestions for preventing and intervening in university students' learning burnout and improving their academic motivation.

The role of loneliness and learning burnout in the regulation of physical exercise on internet addiction in Chinese college students.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the mediating effects of physical exercise on internet addiction in Chinese college students and to reveal the mediating effects of loneliness and learning burnout on physical exercise and internet addiction. METHODS: 1238 Chinese college students were investigated by physical exercise scale, loneliness scale, learning burnout scale, and internet addiction scale. The SPSS 27.0 was used to conduct a correlation analysis of the data and AMOS21.0 was used to establish a structural equation model to investigate the mediation effect. RESULTS: Physical exercise could directly negatively predict the internet addiction of college students. Loneliness and learning burnout partially mediate the relationship between physical exercise and internet addiction, and the mediating pathways included "physical exercise-loneliness-internet addiction", "physical exercise-learning burnout-internet addiction", and "physical exercise-loneliness-learning burnout-internet addiction", accounting for 9.38%, 15.63% and 21.88% of the total effect, respectively. In the chain mediation effect, it was mainly the loneliness and sub-dimensions of learning burnout (low mood, misbehavior) that were at play. CONCLUSION: Physical exercise not only directly affects internet addiction of college students but also indirectly affects internet addiction through the independent mediating effect of loneliness and learning burnout and the chain mediating effect of "loneliness-learning burnout".

Gender differences in alcohol abuse/dependence among medical undergraduates during the post-COVID­19 pandemic period (October 20, 2020-April 5, 2021) in China.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to assess the prevalence and the gender-specific risk factors of alcohol abuse/dependence among medical undergraduates during the post-COVID­19 pandemic period in China. METHOD: The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C) was used to identify respondents with alcohol abuse/dependence. A questionnaire on basic demographics and mental distresses (learning burnout, depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms, excessive daytime sleepiness, and history of mental disorders) was used. The logistic regression model was used to explore the associations between the above characteristics and alcohol abuse/dependence. RESULTS: A total of 3,412 medical undergraduates were included in the analysis. Males showed a higher prevalence of alcohol abuse/dependence than females (16.6% vs 7.4%, p < 0.001). Alcohol abuse/dependence was associated with learning burnout (OR: 2.168, p < 0.001) and having a partner (OR: 1.788 p = 0.001) among female medical undergraduates. Among male medical undergraduates, excessive daytime sleepiness (OR: 1.788 p = 0.001) and older age (OR: 1.788, p = 0.001) were independently associated with alcohol abuse/dependence. CONCLUSION: Alcohol abuse/dependence was common among medical undergraduates during the post-COVID­19 pandemic period. Substantial gender differences in the prevalence and risk factors of alcohol abuse/dependence were found among medical undergraduates in this study, which highlighted the need for timely gender-specific screening and interventions. However, the cross-sectional design adopted in this study has limited the examination of causality, thus further longitudinal studies are warranted.

The effect of smartphone dependence on learning burnout among undergraduates: the mediating effect of academic adaptability and the moderating effect of self-efficacy.

Introduction: Smartphone dependence is closely related to the physical and mental health development of undergraduates and their learning. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between smartphone dependence, academic adaptability, self-efficacy and learning burnout among undergraduates and its underlying mechanisms. Methods: The study was conducted on 2,110 undergraduates using the Smartphone Dependence Scale, the Undergraduates Learning Adjustment Scale, the Learning Burnout Undergraduates Scale and the Self-Efficacy Scale to develop a mediation model and a moderation model. Results: The findings of this study revealed that (1) smartphone dependence significantly negatively predicted academic adaptability; (2) academic adaptability significantly negatively predicted learning burnout; (3) smartphone dependence significantly positively predicted learning burnout; (4) academic adaptability partially mediated the effect of smartphone dependence on learning burnout; (5) self-efficacy played a moderating role in the effect of academic adaptability on learning burnout. Conclusion: These findings can help researchers and educators better understand the underlying mechanisms between smartphone dependence and learning burnout in undergraduates.

Impact of Learning Burnout on Mobile Phone Dependence Among Adolescents in Western China Under the "Double Reduction" Policy: The Mediating Role of Social Support.

Purpose: This paper investigated the prevalence of mobile phone dependence (MPD) and its associated with learning burnout under the "double reduction" policy among adolescents in Guizhou Province in western China. In addition, the influence of the mediating mechanism of social support on this relationship was investigated. Methods: The sample was collected from 16,216 adolescents in West China's Guizhou province, from December 2021 to January 2022 via multistage stratified random sampling. The Self-rating Questionnaire for Adolescent Problematic Mobile Phone Use (SQAPMPU) was used to assess the MPD, the Adolescent Student Burnout Scale (ASBI) was used to assess the learning burnout, and the Social Support Scale (SSS) was used to assess the social support. A hierarchical linear regression model was used to analyze the relationship between MPD, learning burnout, and social support. The mediating effect of social support between MPD and learning burnout was analyzed by structural equation model. Results: Prevalence of MPD was 26.4% among adolescents in Guizhou province in western China. After adjusting for confounding variables like demographics, multiple linear regression model has revealed that learning burnout positively predicted MPD and social support negatively predicted MPD. The structural equation model showed that 10.9% of the effect was explained by the mediating effect of social support. Conclusion: These findings could inform service delivery and policy formulation to reduce learning and avoid MPD in adolescents.

Social support in class and learning burnout among Chinese EFL learners in higher education: Are academic buoyancy and class level important?

The prevalence and adverse effects of learning burnout are a major concern in higher education. Based upon JD-R and COR theories, this study modeled the associations among social support that teachers and peers provide in class, academic buoyancy, learning burnout, and class level with respect to the degree of English proficiency. A sample of 1955 Chinese EFL learners in higher education participated in the cross-sectional survey. Structural equation modelling via partial least squares technique was utilized for statistical analysis. The results corroborated the protecting role that social support in class played against EFL students' learning burnout. In particular, the findings revealed that academic buoyancy both mediated and moderated the nexus between social support on EFL learners' burnout. Moreover, this study found that class level with respect to English proficiency moderated the relation between academic buoyancy and learning burnout and that the negative impact of academic buoyancy on burnout increased in classes in which students had lower English proficiency. Based upon the findings, certain targeted suggestions for educational practice were provided.

The causalities between learning burnout and internet addiction risk: A moderated-mediation model.

This study explored how self-control and eudaimonic orientation are associated with learning burnout and internet addiction risk (IAR). Our results demonstrate that learning burnout has a significant and positive impact on IAR. The impulse system and control system play parallel mediating roles in the relationship between learning burnout and IAR. The relationship between learning burnout and IAR is moderated by eudaimonic orientation. Finally, the mediating role of the impulse system on learning burnout and IAR is moderated by eudaimonic orientation. With these findings, our study clarifies the mediating roles of the impulse system and control system in learning burnout and IAR and the moderating effects of hedonic orientation and eudaimonic orientation. Our study not only offers a new perspective for IAR research but also has practical implications for intervening in middle school students' IAR.

The Effect of Academic Adaptability on Learning Burnout Among College Students: The Mediating Effect of Self-Esteem and the Moderating Effect of Self-Efficacy.

Background: With the popularization of higher education, the problems of academic adaptability and learning burnout among college students have become increasingly prominent. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between academic adaptability, learning burnout, self-esteem and self-efficacy of college students and their underlying mechanisms. Methods: The study was conducted on 2110 college students using the College Student Learning Adjustment Scale, the Learning Burnout Undergraduates Scale, the Self-Esteem Scale, and the Self-Efficacy Scale to establish a mediating model of adjustment. SPSS 26.0 was used for descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation analysis. Model 4 and Model 14 in the process plug-in prepared by Hayes (2017) were used for mediating effects analysis and moderating mediator analysis respectively, and the significance of the mediating effects was tested using the bias-corrected percentile Bootstrap method. Results: (1) academic adaptability significantly and positively predicted self-esteem; (2) self-esteem significantly and negatively predicted learning burnout; (3) academic adaptability significantly and negatively predicted learning burnout; (4) self-esteem partially mediated the effect of academic adaptability on learning burnout; and (5) self-efficacy moderated the latter half of the mediation process of academic adaptability-self-esteem-learning burnout. Conclusion: These findings are useful for college educators and related researchers to better understand the mechanisms underlying the relationship between academic adaptability and learning burnout, thus providing practical and effective operational suggestions on the prevention and intervention of learning burnout in college students.

Relationship between Anxiety, Depression and Learning Burnout of Nursing Undergraduates after the COVID-19 Epidemic: The Mediating Role of Academic Self-Efficacy.

BACKGROUND: Although cross-sectional studies on the learning status of nursing undergraduates during the COVID-19 epidemic have surged, few studies have explored the normalization of COVID-19 on students' learning burnout and mental health. The study was designed to investigate the learning burnout of nursing undergraduates in school under the normalization of the COVID-19 epidemic and explore the hypothesized mediation effect of academic self-efficacy in the relationship between anxiety, depression and learning burnout in Chinese nursing undergraduates. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among nursing undergraduates in the school of nursing of a university in Jiangsu Province, China (n = 227). A general information questionnaire, College Students' Learning Burnout Questionnaire, Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), and Patient Health Questionnaire depression scale (PHQ-9) were administered. Descriptive statistical analysis, Pearson correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression analysis were performed via SPSS 26.0. Process plug-in (Model 4) was used to test the mediating effect of academic self-efficacy (bootstrap 5000 iterations, α = 0.05). RESULTS: Learning burnout (54.1 ± 0.656) was positively correlated with anxiety (4.6 ± 0.283) and depression (5.3 ± 0.366) (p < 0.01) and was negatively correlated with academic self-efficacy (74.41 ± 0.674) (p < 0.01). Academic self-efficacy plays a mediating role between anxiety and learning burnout (0.395/0.493, 80.12%) and a mediating role between depression and learning burnout (0.332/0.503, 66.00%). CONCLUSION: Academic self-efficacy has a significant predictive effect on learning burnout. Schools and teachers should strengthen the screening and counselling of students' psychological problems, detect learning burnout caused by emotional problems in advance and improve students' initiative and enthusiasm for learning.

The influence of different physical exercise amounts on learning burnout in adolescents: The mediating effect of self-efficacy.

Objective: To explore the effect of physical exercise on learning burnout in adolescents, and to reveal the mediating effect of self-efficacy between different physical exercise amounts and learning burnout. Methods: A total of 610 adolescents from 5 primary and middle schools in Chongqing, China were investigated with the Physical Exercise Rating Scale (PARS-3), the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), and the Learning Burnout Scale (LBS). The SPSS21.0 and AMOS21.0 statistical software were used to process and analyze the data. Results: (1) The physical exercise amount in boys was significantly higher than that in girls, but there was no significant gender difference in self-efficacy and learning burnout. Meanwhile, the academic alienation and low sense of achievement of primary school students were significantly lower than that of junior high school students, and there was no significant difference in the physical exercise amount and self-efficacy. (2) The physical exercise amount in adolescents was positively correlated with self-efficacy (r = 0.41), negatively correlated with learning burnout (r = -0.46), and self-efficacy was negatively correlated with learning burnout (r = -0.45). (3) The physical exercise amount could directly and negatively predict the learning burnout of adolescents (ß = -0.40), and self-efficacy played a partial mediating effect between the amount of physical exercise and learning burnout (ES = -0.19). (4) Self-efficacy had no significant mediating effect between low exercise amount and learning burnout, but had a significant partial mediating effect between moderate (ES = -0.15) and high exercise amount (ES = -0.22) and learning burnout, and the partial mediating effect between high exercise amount and learning burnout was the highest. Conclusion: Physical exercise was an effective way to prevent or reduce learning burnout in adolescents. It can not only directly affect learning burnout, but also indirectly affect learning burnout through the mediating effect of self-efficacy. It should be pointed out that maintaining a sufficient amount of physical exercise is crucial to improving self-efficacy and reducing learning burnout.

Academic Burnout, Family Functionality, Perceived Social Support and Coping among Graduate Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Academic burnout and the COVID-19 pandemic have greatly impacted the academic life and mental health of graduate students. This study aims to address the mental health issue in graduate students by relating it to family functionality, perceived social support, and coping with academic burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were gathered from a cross-sectional study with 519 graduate students across universities in Hungary and other European countries. The Copenhagen Burnout Inventory Student, Family APGAR Index, the brief form of the Perceived Social Support Questionnaire, and the Brief Resilient Coping Scale were used to measure academic burnout, family functionality, perceived social support, and coping, respectively. Structural equations modeling was used for statistical analysis. The results revealed a negative effect of family functionality, perceived social support, and coping on academic burnout. The inverse relationship between perceived social support and the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory was identified, and mediated by coping and family functionality. These findings may offer patterns and predictors for future graduate students and higher-education institutions to identify outside factors that are implicated in academic burnout, especially in outbreaks such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Relationship Between Parental Burnout and Children's Learning Burnout: A Moderated Chain Mediation Model.

Learning burnout is a continuous negative psychological state experienced by students. According to Cultural contextual risk theory and Ecological systems theory, family and school are important factors that affect students' psychological and social development. The study discusses the relationship between and mechanisms of parental burnout and children's learning burnout, and the moderating role of school factors in this process based on previous relevant theories and existing research. This study used the Parental Burnout Assessment, the Parent-Child Relationship Scale, the Positive Psychology Questionnaire, the Adolescent Student Burnout Inventory, and School Connectedness Scale to conduct a cluster sampling survey of 1439 primary school students and one of their parents (the primary caregiver) in China. The results showed that parent-child relationship and children's psychological resilience played a mediating role between parental burnout and students' learning burnout. School connection played a moderating role between parent-child conflict and children's psychological resilience. The study's results indicate that parental burnout is a critical risk factor for children's learning burnout and school connection can be a protective factor. This finding suggests that in education, schools should support and work with parents to promote students' psychological and social development. However, the family remains the primary factor affecting students' development.

Parental phubbing, problematic smartphone use, and adolescents' learning burnout: A cross-lagged panel analysis.

BACKGROUND: Parental phubbing is defined as the phenomenon that parents ignore their children when they are paying more attention to smartphones. The present study aimed to test bidirectional relationships among parental phubbing, problematic smartphone use, and learning burnout. We also extended previous studies to examine the mediating role of problematic smartphone use in the relationship between parental phubbing and learning burnout. METHODS: Using a cross-lagged panel model, we recruited 2260 Chinese adolescents (50.35 % girls, Mage = 12.76, SD = 0.58 at baseline) across two years. Descriptive statistics, a cross-lagged panel analysis, a mediation model, and a multiple group analysis were estimated in the current study. RESULTS: Parental phubbing was associated with problematic smartphone use, and there were bidirectional associations between problematic smartphone use and learning burnout as well as between parental phubbing and learning burnout. Problematic smartphone use significantly mediated the relationship between parental phubbing and learning burnout. There were no gender differences among parental phubbing, problematic smartphone use, and learning burnout. LIMITATIONS: The current study only used two-time points to measure variables. Additionally, this study measured adolescents' perceived parental phubbing instead of the actual phubbing behavior. CONCLUSION: It is important to consider the influences of parental phubbing in order to decrease adolescents' problematic smartphone use and learning burnout. Furthermore, there is a vicious circle between PSU and learning burnout. Interventions need to reduce problematic smartphone use and learning burnout simultaneously.

English Learning Stress, Self-Efficacy, and Burnout among Undergraduate Students: The Moderating Effect of Mindfulness and Gender.

Research has indicated that English learning stress contributes significantly to English learning burnout among undergraduate students. However, knowledge of the mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying this relationship is limited. To bridge this gap, a moderated mediation model was constructed to examine whether English learning self-efficacy mediated the relationship between English learning stress and English learning burnout. Furthermore, this study analyzed whether the mediated relationship was moderated by mindfulness and gender. A total of 1130 Chinese undergraduate students (mean age = 20.84 years, SD = 1.57 years) reported their experiences regarding English learning stress, English learning self-efficacy, English learning burnout, and mindfulness. After controlling for covariates, the results revealed that English learning self-efficacy mediated the positive link between English learning stress and English learning burnout among both men and women. Moreover, the findings demonstrated that the indirect link was moderated by mindfulness among male undergraduate students. However, the moderating effect of mindfulness was not significant among the women in this study. The implications of these findings for future research, and the development of intervention and prevention of English learning burnout are discussed.

Learning burnout and its association with perceived stress, social support, and the Big Five personality traits in Chinese medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Owing to the coronavirus disease 2019, medical learning burnout has attracted increasing attention in educational research. It has a serious negative impact on medical students and their service quality. This could impair the professional development of medical students; weaken their personal and professional quality; and lead to problems such as increased medical errors and reduced patient care quality and satisfaction. This study aimed to examine the effects of perceived stress, social support, and the Big Five personality traits on learning burnout among medical students. METHODS: In November 2021, a cross-sectional survey was conducted at three medical universities in China. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 616 third- year students. Learning burnout, perceived stress, social support, and the Big Five personality traits (neuroticism, extroversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness) were anonymously measured. A total of 583 students were included in the final sample. Hierarchical linear regression was performed to explore the effects of perceived stress, social support, and Big Five personality traits on medical students' learning burnout. RESULTS: Perceived stress was positively associated with learning burnout (emotional exhaustion: ß = 0.577, p < 0.001; cynicism: ß = 0.543, p < 0.001; low professional efficacy: ß = 0.455, p < 0.001) whereas social support was negatively related with it (low professional efficacy: ß = -0.319, p < 0.001). Neuroticism had a positive effect on emotional burnout (ß = 0.152, p = 0.009). Extraversion (ß = -0.116, p = 0.006) and conscientiousness (ß = -0.363, p < 0.001) had a negative effect on low professional efficacy. Agreeableness negatively affected emotional exhaustion (ß = -0.181, p < 0.001) and cynicism (ß = -0.245, p < 0.001) and positively affected low professional efficacy (ß = 0.098, p = 0.008). The associated factors together accounted for an additional variance of learning burnout (emotional exhaustion: 39.0%; cynicism: 36.8%; low professional efficacy: 48.7%). CONCLUSIONS: Social support is a positive resource for fighting medical students' burnout. Perceived stress was the strongest indicator of learning burnout. In addition to reducing perceived stress, developing extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness should be included in burnout prevention and treatment strategies, particularly for medical students.