Exploring the mediation of perceived social support and psychological capital on academic stress and student burnout among undergraduate students

Authors

  • Werede Tareke Gebregergis University of Debrecen; Asmara College of Education
  • Csilla Csukonyi University of Debrecen

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32674/a5ggfd62

Keywords:

academic stress , academic burnout, perceived social support, psychological capital, undergraduate students

Abstract

The increasing prevalence of stress and burnout among college students has become widespread, and addressing these issues has long been a critical concern for college communities. Given this context, the study was carried out to explore whether social support and psychological capital function as protective factors against academic stress and burnout. The sample consisted of 448 college students who completed a set of measures assessing their academic stress, burnout, social support, and psychological capital. Hierarchical multiple regression and the PROCESS macro for SPSS were used for data analyses. The results revealed that academic stress was significantly related to academic burnout. Further, social support and psychological capital partially mediated the relationship between academic stress and burnout. The findings underscore the importance of addressing academic stress as a key risk factor for burnout and highlight the essential roles of perceived social support and psychological capital in promoting students’ mental health.

Author Biographies

  • Werede Tareke Gebregergis, University of Debrecen; Asmara College of Education

    Werede Tareke Gebregergis is a lecturer at the Department of Psychology and Educational Administration, Asmara College of Education, Eritrea. Currently, he is pursuing his PhD studies at the Institute of Psychology, University of Debrecen, Hungary. His research focuses on positive psychology in higher education, wellbeing, cultural and emotional intelligence, multicultural personality, intercultural adaptation of student sojourners, and educational sciences. Email address: weredetarekeg@gmail.com

  • Csilla Csukonyi , University of Debrecen

    Csilla Csukonyi, PhD, is a senior lecturer at the Institute of Psychology, University of Debrecen, Hungary. Her major research interests include social and organizational psychology, personality, resilience and adversity quotient, intercultural adaptation, sports psychology, and human-robot interaction. Email address: csukonyi.csilla@arts.unideb.hu

Additional Files

Published

2024-12-15

Issue

Vol. 3 (2025): American Journal of STEM Education: Issues and Perspectives

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Gebregergis, W. T., & Csukonyi , C. (2024). Exploring the mediation of perceived social support and psychological capital on academic stress and student burnout among undergraduate students. American Journal of STEM Education, 3, 16-42. https://doi.org/10.32674/a5ggfd62