A Study on the Mechanisms of Academic Burnout Among Graduate Nursing Students and Pathways to Enhancing Psychological Resilience from the Perspective of Positive Psychology

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the mediating role of psychological resilience in the relationship between academic stress and academic burnout among master’s students in nursing. Methods: Using a general demographic questionnaire, the Master’s Student Academic Burnout Scale, the Academic Stress Scale, and the Psychological Resilience Scale, a survey was conducted from November to December 2024 among master’s students in nursing at four universities in Southwest China. The study aimed to explore the underlying dimensions of academic burnout and the mechanisms by which academic stress influences these dimensions, specifically examining the mediating role of psychological resilience. Results: Among 514 master’s students in nursing, the scores for academic burnout, academic stress, and psychological resilience were (2.22 ± 0.65), (2.95 ± 0.72), and (3.79 ± 0.71), respectively; Academic burnout among nursing graduate students was classified into the following subtypes: “Good” (34.2%), “Low Sense of Accomplishment” (8.9%), “Go-with-the-Flow” (52.5%), and “Complacent” (4.4%). Academic stress can predict the various categories of academic burnout, while psychological resilience mediates the relationship between academic stress and academic burnout. Specifically, under academic stress, the “optimistic group” exhibits a higher level of academic burnout relative to their own expectations compared to other groups, which in turn mitigates the level of academic burnout induced by academic stress. Conclusion: Psychological resilience plays a partial mediating role between academic stress and academic burnout among master’s students in nursing. Nursing educators and administrators can focus on adjusting students’ learning motivation and managing academic stress to ultimately reduce academic burnout among nursing graduate students.