PUB
  • Home
  • Sources
  • Search
  • About

Sorting Out Psychological Causes of Students Academic Burnout in Higher Education

Xueting Ding
Journal of Educational Development and Social Sciences, (2026), Vol.1, No.2, pp.70-75
Published: July 1, 2026
DOI: 10.62051/jedss.v1n2.09
PDF: Download Full Text PDF
Abstract

Recently, a number of scholars have begun to investigate the problem of academic burnout among college students in more depth. Based on the above studies and traditional ideas, the primary causes of student burnout are as follows. Burnout is thus thought to be a result of the interaction among multiple risk factors rather than a single lack. Academic stress, anxiety, maladaptive perfectionism, low self-efficacy, poor self-regulation, weak coping strategies, and lack of social support are all associated with burnout, and heavy workloads and uncertain future prospects can further exacerbate these factors. The two types of causes in this paper are direct psychological causes and mediating and moderating mechanisms; therefore, it has been found that stress leads to anxiety; anxiety further increases exhaustion; and self-efficacy and support can reduce both of these negative impacts. Therefore, this study presents an organised list of the causes of burnout to inform support services for students.

Keywords: Academic burnout, Higher education, Academic stress, Self-efficacy, Anxiety, Social support, Perfectionism
APA Citation: Xueting Ding (2026). Sorting Out Psychological Causes of Students Academic Burnout in Higher Education. Journal of Educational Development and Social Sciences, 1(2), 70-75. https://doi.org/10.62051/jedss.v1n2.09

References

  1. Liu, Z., Xie, Y., Sun, Z., Liu, D., Yin, H., & Shi, L. (2023). Factors associated with academic burnout and its prevalence among university students: A cross-sectional study. BMC Medical Education, 23, Article 317. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-023-04316-y
  2. Gao, X. (2023). Academic stress and academic burnout in adolescents: A moderated mediation model. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, Article 1133706. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1133706
  3. Yang, G., Sun, W., & Jiang, R. (2022). Interrelationship amongst university student perceived learning burnout, academic self-efficacy, and teacher emotional support in China’s English online learning context. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, Article 829193. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.829193
  4. Chong, L. Z., Foo, L. K., & Chua, S. L. (2025). Student burnout: A review on factors contributing to burnout across different student populations. Behavioral Sciences, 15(2), Article 170. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15020170
  5. Jackson, K. M., & Konczosné Szombathelyi, M. (2022). Student burnout in higher education: From lockdowns to classrooms. Education Sciences, 12(12), Article 842. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12120842
  6. Ye, Y., Huang, X., & Liu, Y. (2021). Social support and academic burnout among university students: A moderated mediation model. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 14, 335–344. https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S300797
  7. Faiman, H. B., & Strouse, G. A. (2025). Perfectionism and academic burnout in high-achieving undergraduate students. Gifted Child Quarterly, 69(3), 269–284. https://doi.org/10.1177/00169862251326467
  8. Sanseverino, D., Molinaro, D., Spagnoli, P., & Ghislieri, C. (2023). The dynamic between self-efficacy and emotional exhaustion through studyholism: Which resources could be helpful for university students? International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(15), Article 6462. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20156462
  9. Deep, P. D., & Chen, Y. (2025). Student burnout and mental health in higher education during COVID-19: Online learning fatigue, institutional support, and the role of artificial intelligence. Higher Education Studies, 15(2), 381–401. https://doi.org/10.5539/hes.v15n2p381
  10. Tang, L., Zhang, F., Yin, R., & Fan, Z. (2021). Effect of interventions on learning burnout: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, Article 645662. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.645662
  11. Schaufeli, W. B., Martínez, I. M., Pinto, A. M., Salanova, M., & Bakker, A. B. (2002). Burnout and engagement in university students: A cross-national study. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 33(5), 464–481. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022102033005003
  12. Madigan, D. J., & Curran, T. (2021). Does burnout affect academic achievement? A meta-analysis of over 100,000 students. Educational Psychology Review, 33, 387–405. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-020-09533-1
© 2026 PUB · Seek truth with rigour