Determinants of academic burnout among nursing students: The role of student life stress and college adaptation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35816/jiksh.v15i2.384Keywords:
academic burnout, nursing students, life stress, college adaptation, IndonesiaAbstract
Introduction: Academic burnout has become a major psychological issue among nursing students due to intensive academic workloads, clinical practice demands, and challenges of adaptation during professional education. Persistent burnout may negatively affect students’ mental well-being, academic achievement, and professional readiness. This study aimed to examine the relationships among student-life stress, college adaptation, and academic burnout among undergraduate nursing students.
Research Methodology: A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted among undergraduate nursing students at Universitas Awal Bros, Indonesia, from August to October 2025. A total of 55 respondents were recruited using total sampling. Data were collected using the Pilot Student-Life Stress Inventory (PSLSI), Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ), and Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey (MBI-SS). Descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests were applied to examine relationships between variables with a significance level of p < 0.05.
Results: Most respondents experienced moderate to high academic burnout (81.8%), with 50.9% moderate and 30.9% high. Student-life stress was significantly associated with academic burnout (χ² test, p = 0.021). Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that students with high stress levels were more likely to experience academic burnout (AOR = 3.41; 95% CI: 1.28-9.12). College adaptation was also significantly associated with academic burnout (χ² test, p = 0.034), and poor college adaptation remained significantly associated with academic burnout in the multivariable model (AOR = 2.87; 95% CI: 1.11-7.46). The mean scores for student-life stress, college adaptation, and academic burnout were 2.74 ± 0.61, 2.71 ± 0.58, and 2.76 ± 0.63, respectively.
Conclusion: Student-life stress and college adaptation were significant factors associated with academic burnout among nursing students. Higher stress levels were significantly associated with higher burnout, whereas better adaptation to college life was associated with lower burnout.
These findings emphasize the importance of institutional strategies, including stress management programs, counseling services, and academic support interventions, to improve psychological well-being and reduce academic burnout among nursing students
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