Effect of Interventions on Learning Burnout: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

School burnout and schoolwork engagement profiles among French high school students: Associations with perceived academic stress and social support

Adolescents' well-being at school is positively affected by social support from parents, teachers, and peers and negatively affected by academic stress. However, little is known about how specific academic stressors are related to study-related well-being profiles. This study used a person-centered approach to identify the profiles of high school students based on their school burnout (i.e., exhaustion and cynicism) and engagement levels to examine their associated levels of perceived academic stress, social support, and sociodemographic characteristics. Using cluster analysis on a sample of 540 high school students (67.8% girls), we identified five profiles labeled "Engaged" (22.4%), "Relaxed" (18.9%), "Overextended" (25.6%), "Disengaged" (17.6%), and "Burned out" (15.4%). The "Engaged" and "Relaxed" groups experienced similar levels of perceived social support, but the "Engaged" students showed higher academic stress levels. The "Overextended" group displayed high academic stress with lower social support, while the "Disengaged" group showed low stress with low social support. Finally, the "Burned out" group displayed the highest academic stress and the lowest perceived support. Results are discussed within the demands-resources model of school burnout and clinical implications are presented for each profile.

Group psychological counseling to contrast academic burnout: a research protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Academic burnout is a condition characterized by exhaustion, cynicism, a distant attitude toward studying, and diminished self-efficacy in academic activities. Preliminary scientific findings indicate that interventions designed to alleviate work burnout also hold promise for mitigating academic burnout, however clear evidence based on randomized controlled trials is still missing. This research protocol describes a randomized controlled trial aimed at evaluating the efficacy of an online group psychological intervention to contrast academic burnout. Participants with high levels of burnout will be assigned to a psychological counseling group or a waiting list control group. The research comprises several phases: (T0) Screening, Recruitment, and Randomization; (T1) Baseline assessment (pre-intervention); (T2) Outcome Assessment (post-intervention); and (T3) Follow-up Assessment (3 months post-intervention). The primary outcomes include burnout symptoms, general wellbeing, and academic achievement. Additionally, secondary variables such as effort-reward imbalances, satisfaction/frustration of basic psychological needs, intrapersonal and interpersonal emotion regulation, coping strategies, and social support will be examined. The psychological intervention strategies will encompass psychoeducation, self-awareness enhancement, cognitive restructuring, and promotion of social support. This research protocol is an initial step toward evidence-based psychological interventions to treat academic burnout.

Investigating learning burnout and academic performance among management students: a longitudinal study in English courses

This study aims to move away from the cross-sectional approach related to burnout and conduct a longitudinal study to explore the factors influencing learning burnout among management students. The study primarily adopts a questionnaire survey, with students majoring in business management. Descriptive statistics and structural equation modeling (SEM) are used to analyze the data and validate the hypotheses. The findings are: (1) There is a significant negative relationship between English anxiety and self-efficacy and a significant positive relationship between past English learning performance and self-efficacy. (2) The changes in self-efficacy are negatively related to the changes in burnout, while the changes in workload are positively related to the changes in burnout. Additionally, there is a positive relationship between English anxiety and learning burnout. (3) There is a significant negative relationship between English learning performance and burnout. The direct impact of self-efficacy on English learning performance is not supported, but it has an indirect effect through the mediating role of burnout. The study proposes strategies to improve student outcomes and well-being: (1) making English courses more engaging to boost performance and confidence, reducing learning burnout; (2) encouraging and supporting students to enhance self-efficacy and motivation; (3) assigning tasks seen as useful and interesting to lessen perceived workload and emotional exhaustion; (4) and considering English anxiety in admissions to decrease learning burnout, especially as schools gain more autonomy in their policies.

Sequential mediation analysis of physical activity, healthy diet, BMI, and academic burnout in the Pakistani educational landscape

Research has indicated a negative impact of physical activity on academic burnout among students, however, there is a paucity of evidence about the underlying mechanism of this association in Pakistani students. The present research seeks to investigate the relationship between physical activity and academic burnout by investigating the potential mediating effects of adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) and body mass index (BMI). A sample of 596 students using a cross-sectional survey design was gathered from two public universities (Riphah International University and Mohammed Ali Jinnah University) in Rawalpindi, Pakistan from June to July 2022. The study participants were asked to fill out the Physical Activity Rating Scale-3, the Learning Burnout Scale, and the Test of Adherence to MD questionnaires. The study employed descriptive, bivariate, and path analysis through regression utilizing the SPSS software version 27. The findings demonstrated a negative correlation between academic burnout and BMI, physical activity, and adherence to the MD. The relationship between physical activity and academic burnout was mediated by BMI. Physical activity and academic burnout were inversely correlated, with adherence to the MD and BMI interacting as sequential mediators. The outcomes of this research have expanded our knowledge of the association between physical activity and academic burnout and have suggested crucial and appropriate strategies for addressing student academic burnout.

Exploring the relationships among teacher-student dynamics, learning enjoyment, and burnout in EFL students: the role of emotional intelligence

Introduction

Within the realm of Chinese English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education, this research endeavors to explore the intricate interplay among teacher-student relationships, learning enjoyment, and burnout. It specifically aims to investigate the potential mediation role of emotional intelligence. The study delves into the experiences of 806 EFL students to comprehensively scrutinize these dynamics.

Methods

Employing Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), this study conducts a thorough analysis of the relationships between teacher-student dynamics, learning enjoyment, and burnout among EFL students. The primary objectives involve uncovering correlations among these factors and elucidating the potential mediating impact of emotional intelligence.

Results

The findings underscore robust associations between positive teacher-student relationships, heightened learning enjoyment, and reduced levels of burnout among EFL students. Noteworthy is the pivotal role of emotional intelligence, acting as a mediator, offering insights into the intricate ways in which teacher-student relationships and learning enjoyment influence burnout levels.

Discussion

These outcomes highlight the significance of nurturing students' emotional intelligence as a protective factor against burnout, advocating for tailored educational interventions. The research advocates for proactive measures to enhance emotional intelligence among EFL students, emphasizing its potential to mitigate burnout. Moreover, it suggests pedagogical strategies and institutional support prioritizing emotional intelligence to foster the well-being and academic success of Chinese EFL students.

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".

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.

Changes in Academic Self-efficacy and Value and Crossover of Burnout Among Adolescent Students: A Two-wave Longitudinal Study

Previous research has identified the crossover of burnout among spouses or colleagues in workplaces, but little is known about how burnout crosses over from one student to another. This two-wave longitudinal study examined the mediating effects of changes in academic self-efficacy and value in the crossover of burnout among adolescent students based on the Expectancy-Value Theory. Data were collected from 2346 Chinese high school students (Mage = 15.60, S = 0.82; 44.16% boys) over a period of 3 months. The results reveal that after controlling for T1 student burnout, T1 friend burnout negatively predicts T1-T2 changes in academic self-efficacy and value (intrinsic value, attachment value, and utility value), which in turn negatively predict T2 student burnout. Thus, changes in academic self-efficacy and value completely mediate the crossover of burnout among adolescent students. These findings highlight the importance of taking into account the decline of academic motivation in understanding the crossover of burnout.

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.

Parental phubbing and academic burnout in adolescents: the role of social anxiety and self-control

Based on the limited resource model of self-control, we construct a chain mediation model to examine the relationship between parental phubbing and adolescents' academic burnout, and whether social anxiety and self-control play a mediating role in it. We used 4 questionnaires to investigate parental phubbing, social anxiety, self-control, and adolescents' academic burnout among 828 high school students in Wuhu and Huangshan City, Anhui Province, China. The findings indicated that: (1) parental phubbing, social anxiety, and self-control all significantly predict adolescents' academic burnout directly and (2) parental phubbing could indirectly influence adolescents' academic burnout through three pathways: the separate mediating effect of social anxiety and self-control, and the chain mediating effect on both. The results of this study help parents understand how their phubbing actions affect adolescents' academic burnout and the mechanism of action.

Mediating effects of future time perspective on the relationship between mindfulness and learning burnout in college students: A cross-sectional descriptive study

With the rise of positive psychology, educators gradually pay attention to the construction of psychological capital of college students. Mindfulness is linked to learning burnout; however, little research has examined how mindfulness is associated with learning burnout via future time perspective. The aims of this study were to investigate the relationship between mindfulness state, future time perspective and learning burnout of college students, and explore the mediating effect of future time perspective on mindfulness and learning burnout. A cross-sectional design was used. A total of 358 college students were enrolled from Harbin Medical university. General information questionnaire, the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), the learning burnout scale and The Future Time Perspective Scale were used for investigation. Calculations were performed using SPSS Statistics, version 25. There was negative correlation between positive mindfulness and learning burnout (r = -0.41, P < .01), and positive correlation between future time perspective and mindfulness (r = 0.38, P < .01), and negative correlation with learning burnout (r = -0.37, P < .01). Furthermore, future time perspective (β = -0.40, P < .01) had a significant mediating effect on the relationship between mindfulness and learning burnout. Educators should improve the mindfulness of college students by developing and implementing future time perspective, in order to improve their learning burnout.

When Insecure Self-Worth Drains Students' Energy: Academic Contingent Self-Esteem and Parents' and Teachers' Perceived Conditional Regard as Predictors of School Burnout

Whereas both the family and school environment have been suggested to affect school burnout risks, the role of conditionally regarding parenting or teaching, in which affection is granted conditional on student achievement, in the development of school burnout has not yet been examined. This longitudinal study investigated students' academic contingent self-esteem and parental and teacher conditional regard as antecedents of school burnout. The study sample consisted of Flemish early adolescents (n = 3409; M_age = 12.4 years (SD = 0.49) at the first measurement occasion; 50.3% males), which were surveyed twice (start of Grade 7 and Grade 8). Using Latent Change Modeling, academic contingent self-esteem was found to predict school burnout. Parental and teacher conditional regard both contributed to school burnout, partly through academic contingent self-esteem. Whereas negative conditional regard had the strongest implications for school burnout, positive conditional regard contributed most strongly to contingent self-esteem. Associations were systematically found both at the between-student level (i.e., high levels of antecedents were related to high levels of school burnout) and at the within-student level (i.e., increases in antecedents over time were related to concomitant increases in school burnout). These findings emphasize that communicating conditional approval to adolescents may increase school burnout risks, thus jeopardizing their healthy academic development.

Evaluation of the safety and efficacy of a Polyzene-F nanocoated coronary stent system: A systematic review and single-arm meta-analysis

Background

A stent for patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) provides a requirement for a long-term antiplatelet therapy because of the high possibility of the development of stent thrombosis. It was against this background that both Cobra and Catania Polyzene-F (PzF) stents were designed to reduce the occurrence of stent thrombosis (ST). In this study, we review the safety and effectiveness of a PzF-nanocoated stent.

Methods

This systematic review with the title was registered in PROSPERO (No.398781). The inclusion criteria were including studies among patients with PzF-nanocoated coronary stents and reported target vessel failure (TVF) and ST as the outcomes, and the exclusion criteria were excluding reported patients who could not receive the adjunctive medical therapies or without the necessary endpoints. Reports about PzF-nanocoated stents were searched in PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science and other sources. Because of the existence of few reports and a lack of comparison groups, a single-arm meta-analysis was conducted in R software (v3.6.2), using a random-effects model with the generic inverse variance method. After a heterogeneity test, assessment of evidence quality was conducted by using GRADE software. A funnel plot Egger's test was performed to evaluate publication bias, and a sensitivity analysis was done to determine the robustness of the overall effects.

Results

Six studies of 1,768 subjects were included. The primary endpoint that pooled the TVF rate was 8.9% (95% CI 7.5%–10.2%), which comprised the pooled cardiac death (CD) rate (1.5%, 95% CI 0%–3%), myocardial infarction (MI) rate (2.7%, 95% CI 0.4%–5.1%), target vessel revascularization (TVR) (4.8%, 95% CI 2.4%–7.2%), or target lesion revascularization (TLR) (5.2%, 95% CI 4.2%–6.4%), while the secondary endpoint ST was 0.4% (95% CI 0.1%–0.9%). The funnel plots of TVF, CD, TVR, and TLR did not show any serious publication bias, and TVF, TVR, and TLR showed evidence of moderate quality in GRADE assessment. The sensitivity analysis showed that TVF, TLR, and ST exhibited good stability (I2 = 26.9%, 16.4%, and 35.5%, respectively), while the other endpoints showed moderate instability.

Conclusion

These data indicated that the PzF-nanocoated coronary stents of the Cobra and Catania systems demonstrated good safety and efficacy in clinical application. However, the sample size of patients included in the reports was relatively small, and this meta-analysis will be updated if more studies are published in the future.

Systematic Review Registration

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier: CRD42023398781

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 (β = -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.

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.

The impact of working memory capacity on collaborative learning in elementary school students

Working memory capacity may be a critical factor that influences the effectiveness of collaborative learning; however, no studies have directly explored this effect. Using worked examples as learning tasks, Experiment 1 used a 2 (working memory capacity) × 2 (learning format) factorial design to examine the effects of collaborative learning versus individual learning of 4th-grade Chinese elementary school students with different working memory capacities. High-capacity learners displayed less working memory resource depletion and better transfer performance during collaborative learning than individual learning. In contrast, no differences were found among the low-capacity learners. Collaborative learning benefited high-capacity learners but not low-capacity learners, per our observations. To further optimize collaborative learning for low-capacity learners and expand the findings to heterogeneous collaborative learning, Experiment 2 adopted a 2 (member capacity) × 2 (group capacity) factorial design to explore the effects of member and group working memory capacity on collaborative learning in heterogeneous groups. High-capacity members displayed less working memory resource depletion and better far transfer performance in high-capacity groups compared to low-capacity groups. Simultaneously, all members had better near transfer performance in high-capacity groups compared to low-capacity groups. Both member and group working memory capacities influenced the effect of heterogeneous collaborative learning. However, low-capacity members only partially benefited from collaborative learning in high-capacity heterogeneous groups.

The Light and Dark Sides of Student Engagement: Profiles and Their Association with Perceived Autonomy Support

School engagement has assumed an important place in current developmental psychology and educational research due to its potential to address students’ low achievement, high dropout rates, and misbehavior. Although much has been written about the antecedents and outcomes of student engagement, literature on how students’ level of engagement differs in response to different teaching styles was missing on a large scale. Understanding the patterns and risks linked with student engagement provides opportunities for targeted intervention. This study explored primary school students’ engagement and burnout profiles and how different profiles interacted with perceived classroom teaching styles (i.e., autonomy-supportive & autonomy suppressive). Latent profile analysis resulted in four student engagement subgroups: moderately engaged, engaged, moderately burned out, and burned out. Students clustered into engagement groups were likely to report higher autonomy support from teachers. In contrast, burned-out groups were more likely to rate teachers’ teaching styles as suppressive (i.e., autonomy suppressive). Collectively, the study indicated that autonomy-supportive teaching behaviors are pivotal in understanding student engagement and school burnout. Thus, tailored teacher-focused intervention programs that enhance teachers’ awareness of autonomy-supportive teaching is important. The significance of the findings with the demand-resource model (in the education context) was discussed.

Language Learning Motivation and Burnout Among English as a Foreign Language Undergraduates: The Moderating Role of Maladaptive Emotion Regulation Strategies

In the context of English as a Foreign Language (EFL), burnout study dominantly revolves around teachers but learners' academic burnout is largely underexplored. Academic burnout is a concerning issue worldwide that is particularly predicted by academic motivation. However, we know little about the association between motivation and burnout among EFL learners and whether maladaptive emotion regulation strategies (ERS) could moderate their association. To fill this research gap, we recruited 841 EFL undergraduates from two universities in China. Descriptive analysis showed that participants reported high levels of language learning burnout. Correlational and bootstrapped moderation analysis found that motivation and maladaptive ERS were significantly correlated with burnout in opposite directions and the correlation between motivation and burnout was significantly influenced by students' use of two maladaptive ERS (avoiding and venting). The more frequently students chose to avoid and vent unpleasant feelings, the protective role of motivation on burnout was weaker. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Physical Exercise and Psychological Distress: The Mediating Roles of Problematic Mobile Phone Use and Learning Burnout among Adolescents

Psychological distress among adolescents adversely affects their development and negatively impacts them later in life. The aim of the present study was to determine whether an association exists between physical exercise and psychological distress and to explore the roles of problematic mobile phone use and learning burnout with respect to this association. A total of 2077 Chinese adolescents were evaluated by using the Physical Exercise Questionnaire, the Self-rating Questionnaire for Adolescent Problematic Mobile Phone Use, the Learning Burnout Questionnaire, and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21. A serial multiple mediation model was constructed using the SPSS PROCESS macro. The results showed that physical exercise was negatively associated with psychological distress in this Chinese adolescent population. Serial multiple mediation analysis revealed that problematic mobile phone use and learning burnout both independently and serially mediated the association between physical exercise and psychological distress. These findings provide evidence suggesting that increased attention should be given to problematic mobile phone use and learning burnout when establishing and implementing specific strategies that leverage greater participation in physical exercise to decrease psychological distress in adolescents.

Prevalence of burnout among university students in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Burnout is common among university students and may adversely affect academic performance. Little is known about the true burden of this preventable malady among university students in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs).

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to systematically estimate the prevalence of burnout among university students in LMICs.

METHODS

We searched PubMed, Google Scholar, CINAHL, Web of Science, African Journals Online, and Embase from the inception of each database until February 2021. Original studies were included. No study design or language restrictions were applied. A random-effects meta-analysis was performed using STATA version 16.0. Heterogeneity and publication bias were assessed using Q-statistics and funnel plots, respectively.

RESULTS

Fifty-five unique articles, including a total of 27,940 (Female: 16,215, 58.0%) university students from 24 LMICs were included. The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) was used in 43 studies (78.2%). The pooled prevalence of burnout was 12.1% (95% Confidence Interval (CI) 11.9-12.3; I2 = 99.7%, Q = 21,464.1, p = < 0.001). The pooled prevalence of emotional exhaustion (feelings of energy depletion), cynicism (negativism), and reduced professional efficacy were, 27.8% (95% CI 27.4-28.3; I2 = 98.17%. p = <0.001), 32.6 (95% CI: 32.0-33.1; I2: 99.5%; p = < 0.001), and 29.9% (95% CI: 28.8-30.9; I2: 98.1%; p = < 0.001), respectively.

CONCLUSION

Nearly one-third of university students in LMICs experience burnout. More studies are needed to understand the causes of burnout in this key population. There is a need to validate freely available tools for use in these countries.