(2024) Science and education, 3, 97-105. Odessa.
Valerii Olefir,
Doctor of Psychology, Associate Professor,
Head of the Department of General Psychology,
V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University,
6, Svobody sq., Kharkiv, Ukraine,
ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3552-3277
Svitlana Kotenko,
a third-year Postgraduate student,
Department of General Psychology,
Faculty of Psychology,
V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University,
6, Svobody sq., Kharkiv, Ukraine,
ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0234-5021
THE MEDIATING ROLE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL CAPITAL IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN STUDY DEMANDS AND EMOTIONAL BURNOUT AMONG STUDENTS
SUMMARY:
This article examines the mediating role of psychological capital in the relationship between academic environment demands and emotional burnout among higher education students. Modern challenges require students to adapt to changes and utilize their resources to achieve long-term goals. However, emotional burnout poses a significant obstacle to academic success and the development of professional identity. The study involved 213 students aged 17 to 47, with 84.5% being female. The study aimed to determine whether psychological capital mediates the relationship between educational environment demands and emotional burnout. Methods: Psychological capital was assessed using the Ukrainian version of the PCQ- 12, which measures self-efficacy, hope, optimism, and resilience. Study demands and resources were evaluated using the Study Demands and Resources Questionnaire, which consists of 18 items rated on a 5-point scale to assess respondents' agreement levels. Emotional burnout was diagnosed using the Ukrainian version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory for Students (MBI-SS), which includes 15 items rated on a 7-point scale. All questionnaires demonstrated sufficient reliability, with Cronbach's alpha exceeding 0.7 for PCQ-12, above 0.6 for the environmental demands questionnaire, and over 0.8 for MBI-SS. Results: The study found that high demands on students significantly increase burnout levels, while psychological capital serves as a buffer, partially mediating this effect. Statistical analysis showed that psychological capital explains two-thirds of the variance in the relationship between academic environment demands and emotional burnout, confirming its mediating role. The findings offer new opportunities for developing interventions aimed at enhancing self-efficacy, resilience, optimism, and hope among students to reduce the risk of burnout. However, the study has limitations related to its cross-sectional design and the use of self-assessment methods, which may affect the accuracy of the results.
KEYWORDS:
burnout, personal resources, psychological capital, self-efficacy, students, optimism, resilience, academic burnout, study demands.
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