ORIGINAL PAPER
Academic burnout and the psychological well-being of psychology students: the mediating role of stress coping strategies
1
Institute of Psychology, University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
2
#Make Smart People Famous Foundation, Lublin, Poland
3
Catholic University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland
These authors had equal contribution to this work
Submission date: 2025-09-25
Final revision date: 2026-02-10
Acceptance date: 2026-02-13
Online publication date: 2026-04-30
Corresponding author
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Background:
Academic burnout poses a serious challenge for today’s students, reducing their psychological well-being and increasing the risk of adjustment problems. Research indicates that stress coping strategies can play both protective and potentially harm-ful roles in this process. The aim of this study was to analyse the relationship between academic burnout and students’ psychological well-being, with particular emphasis on the role of coping strategies.
Participants and procedure:
The study involved 371 Polish psychology students who completed standardised questionnaires measuring academic burn-out (OLBI-S), psychological well-being (C. Ryff scale) and stress coping strategies (Mini-COPE). The age of the respondents ranged from 18 to 28 years. The study was conducted between April and May 2025 by reaching out to respondents directly.
Results:
The results confirmed that higher levels of burnout were significantly associated with lower psychological well-being. Prob-lem-focused coping strategies promoted higher well-being and mitigated the negative impact of burnout, while avoidance strategies exacerbated the effect. Notably, emotion-focused strategies did not show significant associations with the stud-ied variables, which may indicate their limited role in the context of academic demands.
Conclusions:
Academic burnout poses a significant threat to students’ well-being, and the long-term consequences are likely to persist in their professional lives. Developing adaptive coping strategies and limiting escape strategies can have a protective effect, supporting mental health and preparing students for future professional life.
Academic burnout poses a serious challenge for today’s students, reducing their psychological well-being and increasing the risk of adjustment problems. Research indicates that stress coping strategies can play both protective and potentially harm-ful roles in this process. The aim of this study was to analyse the relationship between academic burnout and students’ psychological well-being, with particular emphasis on the role of coping strategies.
Participants and procedure:
The study involved 371 Polish psychology students who completed standardised questionnaires measuring academic burn-out (OLBI-S), psychological well-being (C. Ryff scale) and stress coping strategies (Mini-COPE). The age of the respondents ranged from 18 to 28 years. The study was conducted between April and May 2025 by reaching out to respondents directly.
Results:
The results confirmed that higher levels of burnout were significantly associated with lower psychological well-being. Prob-lem-focused coping strategies promoted higher well-being and mitigated the negative impact of burnout, while avoidance strategies exacerbated the effect. Notably, emotion-focused strategies did not show significant associations with the stud-ied variables, which may indicate their limited role in the context of academic demands.
Conclusions:
Academic burnout poses a significant threat to students’ well-being, and the long-term consequences are likely to persist in their professional lives. Developing adaptive coping strategies and limiting escape strategies can have a protective effect, supporting mental health and preparing students for future professional life.
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