Psychological Suzhi and Academic Burnout among University Students: An Analysis of the Mediating Role of Academic Engagement and the Moderating Role of Peer Support
This study integrates social support theory with the operational sub-mode of psychological Suzhi to examine the relationship between psychological Suzhi and academic burnout among Chinese university students, as well as the mediating role of academic engagement and the moderating role of peer support. Data were collected via questionnaire surveys from 1098 Chinese university students, using the College Student Psychological Suzhi Scale, the Adolescent Student Burnout Inventory, the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-Student and the Peer Support Scale. The results revealed that: 1) Psychological Suzhi significantly and negatively predicted academic burnout; 2) Academic engagement partially mediated the relationship between psychological Suzhi and academic burnout; 3) Peer support positively moderated the pathway from psychological Suzhi to academic engagement, such that higher levels of peer support strengthened the positive effect of psychological Suzhi on academic engagement.
References
[1]
Wu, Y., Dai, X.Y., Wen, Z.L. and Cui, H.Q (2010) Development of the Adolescent Learning Burnout Scale. Chinese Journal of Clinical Psychology, 18, 152-154.
[2]
Hou, Y. (2021) Research Progress of College Students’ Learning Burnout. Review of Educational Theory, 4, Article 43.
[3]
Reyes-de-Cózar, S., Merino-Cajaraville, A. and Salguero-Pazos, M.R. (2023) Avoiding Academic Burnout: Academic Factors That Enhance University Student Engagement. Behavioral Sciences, 13, Article 989. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs13120989
[4]
Zhang, D.J., Wang, J.L., Yu, L., Zhao, Y. and Jiang, C.F. (2011) Methods and Implementary Strategies on Cultivating Students’ Psychological Suzhi. Nova Science Publishers.
[5]
Wang, X.Q. and Zhang, D.J. (2012) Constructing the Relationship Model between Psychological Quality and Mental Health: Beyond PTH and DFM. Journal of Southwest University (Social Sciences Edition), 38, 67-74.
[6]
Wang, X., Zhang, X. and Zhang, D. (2016) The Relationship between Psychological Suzhi and Mental Health among Chinese College Students. JournalofBiosciencesandMedicines, 4, 21-29. https://doi.org/10.4236/jbm.2016.45002
[7]
Nie, Q., Yang, C., Chen, C., Furlong, M., Chan, M., Zhang, D., et al. (2025) Growing Minds, Diverging Paths: Psychological Suzhi Trajectories and Adolescent Adjustment in China. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 54, 3023-3040. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-025-02228-2
[8]
Wang, H., Jia, R., Zhang, M. and Fan, W. (2024) The Influence of Stress on Mental Health among Chinese College Students: The Moderating Role of Psychological Suzhi. Heliyon, 10, e26699. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e26699
[9]
Zhang, D.J., Su, Z.Q. and Wang, X.Q. (2017) Three Decades of Research on Children and Adolescents’ Psychological Suzhi: Review and Prospect. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 15, 3-11.
[10]
Fang, L.T., Shi, K. and Zhang, F.H. (2008) Reliability and Validity of the Chinese Version of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale. Chinese Journal of Clinical Psychology, 16, 618-620.
[11]
Olson, N., Oberhoffer-Fritz, R., Reiner, B. and Schulz, T. (2023) Study Related Factors Associated with Study Engagement and Student Burnout among German University Students. Frontiers in Public Health, 11, Article 1168234. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1168264
[12]
Azpiazu, L., Antonio-Aguirre, I., Izar-de-la-Funte, I. and Fernández-Lasarte, O. (2024) School Adjustment in Adolescence Explained by Social Support, Resilience and Positive Affect. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 39, 3709-3728. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-023-00785-3
[13]
Cohen, S. and Wills, T.A. (1985) Stress, Social Support, and the Buffering Hypothesis. Psychological Bulletin, 98, 310-357. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.98.2.310
[14]
Firnanda, G. and Ibrahim, Y. (2020) Peer Social Support Relations with Student Academic Stress. Jurnal Neo Konseling, 2, 1-6.
[15]
Ratheeswari, K. (2025) Academic Stress Levels and Perceived Social Support from Peers: Among College Students. InternationalJournalforMultidisciplinaryResearch, 7, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2025.v07i05.57455
[16]
Wang, X.Q., Zhang, D.J. and Zhang, X.Q. (2017) Revision and Validation of the Concise Psychological Suzhi Scale for College Students (Health Version). Journal of Southwest University (Natural Science Edition), 39, 126-132.
[17]
Lian, R., Yang, L.X. and Wu, L.H. (2005) The Relationship between Professional Commitment and Learning Burnout of Undergraduates and Development of a Scale. Acta Psychologica Sinica, 37, 632-636.
[18]
Schaufeli, W.B., Martínez, I.M., Pinto, A.M., Salanova, M. and Bakker, A.B. (2002) Burnout and Engagement in University Students: A Cross-National Study. JournalofCross-CulturalPsychology, 33, 464-481. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022102033005003
[19]
Wang, X.D., Wang, X.L. and Ma, H. (1999) Handbook of Mental Health Assessment Scales. Revised Edition, Chinese Mental Health Journal Press.
[20]
Zhu, Z.G., Zhang, D.J., Wu, J.H., Liu, G.Z. and Zhang, L.B. (2018) Relationship between Psychological Suzhi and Academic Burnout: The Mediating Role of Self-Esteem. Journal of Southwest University (Natural Science Edition), 40, 58-64.
[21]
Zhang, D. (2010) Psychological Suzhi and Its Structure. In: Columbus, A., Advances in Psychology Research, Nova Science Publishers, 195-208.
[22]
Chen, X., Zhao, H. and Zhang, D. (2022) Effect of Teacher Support on Adolescents’ Positive Academic Emotion in China: Mediating Role of Psychological Suzhi and General Self-Efficacy. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19, Article 16635. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192416635
[23]
Cong, Y., Yang, L. and Ergün, A.L.P. (2024) Exploring the Relationship between Burnout, Learning Engagement and Academic Self-Efficacy among EFL Learners: A Structural Equation Modeling Analysis. Acta Psychologica, 248, Article 104394. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2024.104394
[24]
Olson, N., Oberhoffer-Fritz, R., Reiner, B. and Schulz, T. (2025) Stress, Student Burnout and Study Engagement—A Cross-Sectional Comparison of University Students of Different Academic Subjects. BMC Psychology, 13, Article No. 293. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-02602-6
[25]
Zhu, Z., Tang, W., Liu, G. and Zhang, D. (2021) The Effect of Psychological Suzhi on Suicide Ideation in Chinese Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Family Support and Friend Support. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, Article 632274. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.632274
[26]
Nair, A.A., Bhatia, A.K., Kumar A V, D., Pothakani, M.Y. and Benedict, S.M. (2024) Exploring the Perceived Social Support among College Students. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4722943
[27]
Yang, H. and Xiang, J. (2024) Peer Support and Academic Engagement: The Moderated Mediation Model for College Students. Psychology in the Schools, 62, 281-295. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.23324
