Examining university student burnout in relation to demands, resources and perfectionism: The mediating role of emotional regulation
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Student burnout is an important mental health issue in higher education. The development of the symptoms is often described by the Demand-Resource Model. We aimed to explore how interpersonal factors interact with the educational context in the development of burnout. Therefore, perfectionism and emotional regulation were assessed in addition to study demands and resources. 331 university students participated in our online study. Structural Equation Modeling showed that demands are positively, while resources are negatively, linked to burnout. Maladaptive perfectionism and maladaptive emotional regulation were positively related to burnout, but contrary to our hypothesis, the adaptive dimensions of perfectionism and emotional regulation were not always negatively related to burnout. Moreover, the relationship between both maladaptive and adaptive perfectionism and burnout was positively mediated by maladaptive emotion regulation strategies. Our results suggest factors that may promote or protect against burnout and thus help both prevention and intervention.
Source: Journal of Pedagogical Research
Authors: Enikő Tóth, Balázs Jagodics
Institutions: University of Debrecen, University of Szeged
Language: English
Topic: Stress and Burnout Research
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4411467834