TYPE Brief Research Report

PUBLISHED 26 February 2025

DOI 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1536951

Risk and protective factors in

OPEN ACCESS academic burnout: exploring the
mediating role of interpersonal
EDITED BY
Jose Manuel Martinez-Vicente,
University of Almeria, Spain

REVIEWED BY
Cristina Tripon,
emotion regulation in the link
Polytechnic University of Bucharest, Romania
Begoña Urien,
University of Navarra, Spain
with social support
*CORRESPONDENCE
Irene Messina Irene Messina 1*, Tatiana Rossi 1, Roberto Maniglio 1,
irene.messina@unimercatorum.it Claudio Loconsole 2 and Pietro Spataro 1
RECEIVED 29 November 2024
ACCEPTED 13 February 2025
1
Deparment of Human and Social Sciences, Mercatorum University, Rome, Italy, 2 Department of
PUBLISHED 26 February 2025
Engineering and Science, Mercatorum University, Rome, Italy

CITATION
Messina I, Rossi T, Maniglio R, Interpersonal Emotion Regulation (IER) may serve as a critical link between the
Loconsole C and Spataro P (2025) Risk and
protective factors in academic burnout: established roles of social support and emotion regulation in mitigating academic
exploring the mediating role of interpersonal burnout. This study explored the hypothesis that IER influences academic burnout
emotion regulation in the link with social through its impact on social support. 156 undergraduate students were involved
support.
Front. Psychol. 16:1536951. in the study, with measures assessing academic burnout (Maslach Burnout
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1536951 Inventory—Student Survey), IER (Difficulties in Interpersonal Emotion Regulation),
COPYRIGHT and social support (Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support). Results
© 2025 Messina, Rossi, Maniglio, Loconsole confirmed the protective role of social support and revealed distinct effects of
and Spataro. This is an open-access article
different IER forms. Specifically, reassurance-seeking emerged as a protective
distributed under the terms of the Creative
Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The factor, positively predicting social support and indirectly reducing burnout levels.
use, distribution or reproduction in other Conversely, venting was found to exacerbate burnout both directly and indirectly,
forums is permitted, provided the original
by diminishing social support.
author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are
credited and that the original publication in
this journal is cited, in accordance with KEYWORDS
accepted academic practice. No use,
distribution or reproduction is permitted interpersonal-emotion-regulation, social-support, venting, reassurance-seeking,
which does not comply with these terms. academic-burnout, students-mental-health

Introduction
While initially studied in the context of workplace stress (Freudenberger, 1974), the
concept of burnout has been adapted to educational environments. “Academic Burnout” (AB)
refers to a condition marked by exhaustion from study demands, a cynical or detached attitude
toward university tasks, and a sense of ineffectiveness in relation to academic performance
(Schaufeli et al., 2002; Zhang et al., 2006). AB has become a widespread phenomenon among
university students, with overall prevalence of each dimension of the syndrome estimated at
55.4% for emotional exhaustion, 31.6% for cynicism, and 30.9% for academic efficacy (Rosales-
Ricardo et al., 2021). Students experiencing burnout are more likely to have low academic
performance, and increased levels of stress and anxiety, which can lead to more severe issues
such as substance abuse and suicidal ideation (Deeb et al., 2018; Kadhum et al., 2022; Dyrbye
et al., 2008). Moreover, AB correlates with a heightened risk of extended academic timelines,
delayed graduation, and even dropout (Rahmati, 2015; Madigan and Curran, 2021).
Social Support (SS) is commonly defined as the perception or experience of being cared
for, valued, and part of a network of mutual assistance and obligations (Cobb, 1976). According
to the stress-buffering hypothesis (Cohen and Wills, 1985), SS protects individuals from the
harmful effects of stress by either mitigating the perception of stress or providing resources to
effectively cope with it. This hypothesis has been extensively validated through numerous

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Messina et al. 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1536951

studies, which consistently demonstrate that SS serves as both a Research methodology

predictive and protective factor against burnout (House, 1981;
Viswesvaran et al., 1999; Halbesleben, 2006; Kim et al., 2018). In the Participants and context
context of AB, a recent meta-analysis highlights that SS not only
buffers stress but also enhances students’ ability to manage academic The study was conducted at Mercatorum University, a private
and practical challenges effectively (Kim and Lee, 2022), especially Italian online university. The study sample included 156
individuals’ subjective belief or perception of the availability of undergraduate students (80 males, 76 females), with mean age
support from their social network (‘perceived social support’) (Bahar 36.46(±11.14). The demographic characteristics of our
et al., 2024). Additionally, SS significantly influences the relationship participants are summarized in Table 1. Potential participants
between burnout and subjective well-being (Rehman et al., 2020). were invited electronically via email to students’ listservs.
The university is considered a high-stress context for students Questionnaires were administered using Google Forms, with
due to academic pressure (e.g., tight deadlines and high expectations), access links distributed to students through the university
financial strain, social adjustments, and future uncertainty regarding psychological counseling service email list. This study received
career prospects (Beiter et al., 2015). In academic settings, as in other approval from the Ethical Committee for Psychological Research
high-stress contexts, emotion regulation plays a crucial role in at Mercatorum University. Informed consent was obtained from
mitigating the impact of stress by shaping individuals’ emotional all participants included in the study.
responses to challenging events (Chacón-Cuberos et al., 2019).
Emotion regulation refers to the processes by which individuals
influence the emotions they experience, when they experience them, Instruments
and how they express and manage these emotions (Gross, 1998). A
recent meta-analysis (Iuga and David, 2024) highlights emotion Maslach Burnout Inventory—Student Survey
regulation as a significant factor in academic well-being, showing that (MBI-SS)
adaptive strategies are negatively associated with AB, while The MBI-SS (Schaufeli et al., 1996) is a 15-item self-report
maladaptive strategies can amplify the effects of stressful questionnaire composed of three subscales: Exhaustion (e.g., “I feel
environments. Despite the importance of these previous findings, used up at the end of a day at university”), Cynicism (e.g., “I doubt the
they neglect the role of interpersonal features of emotion regulation, significance of my studies”), and Professional Efficacy (e.g., “During
that would be particularly relevant in association with class I feel confident that I am effective in getting things done”).
SS. Interpersonal Emotion Regulation (IER) refers to efforts within We used the Italian version of MBI-SS from the study of Portoghese
social interactions in the pursuit of a regulatory goal, including all et al. (2018), in which reliability coefficients for each of the subscale
that ways by which individuals rely on others to regulate their scores were 0.86 for Exhaustion, 0.82 for Cynicism and 0.77 for
emotion (Zaki and Williams, 2013). Previous contributions Professional Efficacy.
highlighted the relevance of IER as interconnection between SS and
psychological suffering. For instance, Marroquín (2011) proposed a Difficulties in interpersonal regulation of emotion
model built on substantial evidence highlighting the buffering role of (DIRE)
SS in mitigating depression symptoms during adversity and suggested The DIRE is a scenario-based measure (Dixon-Gordon et al.,
that IER strategies may mediate this protective effect. A recent study 2018a), in which participants are invited to indicate, for each
confirmed this hypothesis showing that the need to be soothed while scenario, the likelihood that they would respond in the way
regulating negative emotions may push people to seek SS, which can described in each item, using a Likert scale ranging from 1 (“very
protect them from psychological distress (Gökdağ, 2021). Extending unlikely”) to 5 (“very likely”). The DIRE allows the assessment of
this hypothesis, we propose that IER may impact social support, two forms of difficulties in interpersonal emotion regulation: Vent
which, in turn, could influence academic burnout. It is possible, (e.g., “Raise your voice or criticize your friends to express how
however, that other forms of IER strategies may have different effects you feel”) and Reassurance-seek (e.g., “Keep asking for
in the interplay between SS and AB. For instance, interpersonal reassurance”). In the validation study of the Italian version of the
venting and excessive reassurance-seeking are considered DIRE good internal consistencies have been reported for both the
maladaptive IER strategies (Dixon-Gordon et al., 2018a; Messina Vent (α = 76) and Reassurance- Seek (α = 0.87) subscales (Messina
et al., 2022), as they can lead to negative interpersonal outcomes, such et al., 2022).
as rejection, conflicts, or abandonment. These consequences may, in
turn, reduce the availability of SS, exacerbating the risk of AB. Multidimensional scale of perceived social
The aim of this study was to investigate the interplay between SS, IER, support (MSPSS)
and AB among university students. Specifically, we first examined the The MSPSS (Zimet et al., 1988) is a self-report questionnaire
statistical associations among these variables, with the expectation of composed by 12-item scored by using a 7-point Likert scale ranging
confirming previous evidence that SS is negatively associated with from 1 (“strongly disagree”) to 7 (“strongly agree”). The items are
AB. Second, we aimed to explore the relatively underexamined organized in three subscales assessing different SS contexts: Family
relationship between IER and AB, hypothesizing that greater use of IER Support (e.g., “My family really tries to help me”), Friend Support (e.g.,
strategies might correlate with higher levels of AB. Finally, we tested the “I can count on my friends when things go wrong”), and Significant
hypothesis that IER mediates the relationship between SS and Other Support (e.g., “There is a special person with whom I share joys
AB. Specifically, we propose that IER may shape perceptions or availability and sorrows”). Coefficient α for the Italian version in a previous study
of social support, which, in turn, influences levels of academic burnout. was 0.87 (Fabio and Kenny, 2012).

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Messina et al. 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1536951

TABLE 1 Demographic characteristics of participants (N = 156).

Table 3 illustrates Pearson’s correlations. As can be noted:
Variable Category Frequency Percentage exhaustion and cynism were positively associated with Vent, but
negatively associated with SS. Thus, as expected, students who used
Gender Female 76 48.72%
venting to a greater extent reported higher levels of exhaustion and
Male 80 51.28%
cynism and lower levels of professional efficiency, whereas students
Age group 21–30 63 40.38% who perceived greater SS reported lower levels of exhaustion and
31–40 38 24.36% cynism and higher levels of professional efficiency. In addition,
41–50 35 22.44% reassurance-seeking was positively associated with perceived social
support, confirming that students who used this IER strategy to a
51–60 18 11.54%
greater extent were also more likely to perceive high social support.
61–70 1 0.64% Lastly, reassurance-seeking and venting were positively correlated.
> 70 1 0.64% To determine which variables predicted AB, we performed a path
Family Married or cohabiting 43 41.75% analysis using the pathj module of Jamovi, which is based on the
situation with children lavaan R package (Rosseel, 2012) and also allowed us to test indirect
mediation effects. Reassurance-seeking and venting were considered
Married or cohabiting 28 27.18%
as the exogenous variable, SS as the endogenous mediator, and
without children
exhaustion, cynism and professional efficiency as the endogenous
In a relationship but 32 31.07%
output variables. We began from a fully-saturated model which
living alone
included all the predicted paths and iteratively stripped away
Work Unemployed 28 17.95% non-significant paths, until we were left with a parsimonious model
situation Part-time employed 18 11.54% which showed an acceptable fit to the data – χ2(4) = 5.97, p = 0.20,
Full-time employed 110 70.51%
CFI = 0.98, adj.GFI = 0.99, RMSEA = 0.056 [95% CI: 0.000–0.143,
p = 0.37]. The model explained 19.1% of the variance in social support,
Education Business Management 37 23.72%
12.8% of the variance in exhaustion, 10.6% of the variance in cynism,
level Communication and 28 17.95% and 2.4% of the variance in professional efficiency. As illustrated in
Multimedia Figure 1, the following paths were significant: (a) SS was positively
Psychological Sciences 21 13.46% predicted by reassurance-seeking (β = 0.43, z = 5.91, p < 0.001) and
and Techniques negatively predicted by venting (β = −0.17, z = −2.35, p = 0.019); (b)
Management 21 13.46% exhaustion and cynism were negatively predicted by SS (β = −0.28,
Engineering z = −3.76, p < 0.001 and β = −0.18, z = −2.40, p = 0.017, respectively)
and positively predicted by venting (β = 0.19, z = 2.59, p = 0.010 and
Legal Sciences 14 8.97%
β = 0.25, z = 3.46, p < 0.001, respectively); and (c) professional
Gastronomy, Hospitality 12 7.69%
efficiency was positively predicted by SS (β = 0.15, z = 1.97, p = 0.049).
and Territories
Most importantly, we also tested the significance of indirect effects
Computer Engineering 7 4.49% via a bootstrapping procedure (5,000 iterations), using 95% confidence
Political Sciences and 7 4.49% intervals. The consensus is that, if the confidence interval does not
International Relations contain zero, then the indirect effect can be considered significant
(Preacher and Hayes, 2004, 2008). The results (see Table 4) indicated
Statistics and Big Data 5 3.21%
that: (a) higher levels of reassurance-seeking predicted significant
Languages and Markets 3 1.92%
decreases in exhaustion and cynism by increasing SS (β = −0.12
Engineering of 1 0.64% [95%CI: −0.188, −0.041], z = −3.07, p = 0.002 and β = −0.07 [95%CI:
Infrastructures for −0.137, −0.002], z = −2.04, p = 0.040, respectively) and (b) higher
Sustainable Mobility levels of venting predicted significant increases in exhaustion by
decreasing SS (β = 0.06 [95%CI: 0.000, 0.122], z = 1.97, p = 0.049). On
the other hand, the positive indirect effect of reassurance-seeking on
Results professional efficiency via increases in SS (β = 0.03 [95%CI: −0.031,
0.100], z = 1.01, p = 0.308) and the positive indirect effect of venting on
Table 2 reports descriptive statistics for the selected variables. It can cynism via decreases in SS (β = 0.04 [95%CI: −0.008, 0.082], z = 1.59,
be noted that the asymmetry and kurtosis values were always comprised p = 0.110) did not reach the standard significance level, as well as the
between 1 and − 1, suggesting that the distributions of all variables were negative indirect effect of venting on professional efficiency via
approximately normal (Tabachnick and Fidell, 1989). To formally test this decreases in SS (β = −0.01 [95%CI: −0.056, 0.019], z = −0.94, p = 0.34).
assumption, we computed Mardia’s multivariate skewness and kurtosis
coefficients, using the calculator provided by Cain et al. (2017). According
to Bollen (1989), if Mardia’s coefficients are lower than p(p + 2), where p Discussion
is the number of observed variables involved in the analysis, then the
combined distribution of the variables is multivariate normal. In the In line with prior research, our findings reaffirm the critical role
present study, these coefficients were 4.02 for skewness and 46.87 for of perceived SS in influencing students’ susceptibility to AB. SS
kurtosis, which were both safely lower than the threshold value (48). emerged as a significant predictor across all dimensions of burnout,

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Messina et al. 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1536951

TABLE 2 Descriptive statistics for the selected variables.

disrupt interpersonal networks for emotion regulation (Abe and
Asimmetry Kurtosis M(SD) Nakashima, 2022). These patterns can render reassurance-seeking
interpersonally toxic and mark it as a potential behavioral indicator
Exhaustion (MBI-SS) 0.23 (0.19) −0.50 (0.38) 2.21 (1.36)
of risk for psychiatric concerns (Stewart and Harkness, 2015;
Cynism (MBI-SS) 0.57 (0.19) −0.49 (0.38) 1.63 (1–37)
Wakeling et al., 2020). Thus, while reassurance-seeking is valuable as
Professional efficiency 0.07 (0.19) −0.33 (0.38) 4.09 (0.66) an adaptive strategy, its long-term impacts and balance within
(MBI-SS) relationships warrant careful consideration in future studies.
Reassurance-seeking (DIRE) −0.01 (0.19) −0.81 (0.38) 3.01 (1.12) In contrast, venting appears to play a risk-enhancing role in
Venting (DIRE) 0.59 (0.19) −0.19 (0.38) 2.09 (0.83)
students’ burnout. In our findings, venting had a dual negative impact
on students’ burnout: one indirect, mediated by the loss of social
Social support (MSPSS) −0.78 (0.19) 0.21 (0.38) 15.60 (4.03)
support, and the other direct. Regarding the indirect influence, venting
may erode the social networks that are crucial for buffering stress.
TABLE 3 Pearson’s correlations between all variables. Negative venting can lead to emotional contagion, where negative
emotions are transferred to others, ultimately damaging relationships
1 2 3 4 5 6 (Vijayalakshmi and Bhattacharyya, 2012; Niven et al., 2024). Indeed,
1. Exhaustion 0.91 venting may overwhelm the listeners, resulting in emotional fatigue
2. Cynism 0.54 0.83 and diminishing their capacity to offer supportive feedback. This
weakening of SS further exacerbates burnout and emotional distress.
3. Professional −0.21 −0.33 0.80
The direct effect of venting on emotional exhaustion and
efficiency
cynicism can be understood through the lens of cognitive
4. Reassurance-seeking −0.04 −0.01 0.12 0.90
neo-association theory (Berkowitz, 2012). According to this theory,
5. Venting 0.24 0.31 −0.16 0.16 0.82 venting may keep anger and frustration active in memory, reinforcing
6. Social support −0.30 −0.21 0.15 0.40 −0.10 0.93 negative moods (Bushman, 2002). Previous research has linked the
Cronbach’s α reliabilities are shown in the diagonal. Significant correlations are reported in
harmful effects of venting to a variety of mental health concerns,
bold (p < 0.05). including depression (Malooly et al., 2017; Messina et al., 2023),
borderline personality symptoms (Dixon-Gordon et al., 2018a,
2018b; Messina et al., 2022), and suicidal ideation (Chou et al., 2018).
consistent with the well-established buffering hypothesis that In the context of burnout, this mechanism may explain how venting
emphasizes its protective role against stress-related outcomes (Cohen exacerbates emotional exhaustion and cynicism in response to
and Wills, 1985). Notably, the negative correlation between emotional academic stressors, by perpetuating negative emotional states and
exhaustion and total SS was stronger than the correlations observed hindering the recovery from stress.
for cynicism or professional efficacy. This suggests that emotional This study has several limitations. First, due to the cross-sectional
exhaustion - the most prominent and debilitating component of design of the current study, the temporal sequence of the independent
burnout—may be particularly sensitive to the availability and variables, mediators, and dependent variables (causality) cannot
perception of social support, corroborating findings from earlier be verified. This limitation is particularly relevant for reassurance-
studies in work burnout (for a meta-analysis see Halbesleben, 2006) seeking, which emerged as a protective factor in this study,
and AB (Rigg et al., 2013; Li et al., 2018). contrasting with previous evidence suggesting that excessive
Reassurance-seeking emerged as a protective factor, positively reassurance-seeking can have negative long-term consequences
predicting SS and, through this increase, indirectly contributing to (Stewart and Harkness, 2015). To address this issue, future research
significant reductions in emotional exhaustion and cynicism while could adopt a longitudinal design to better assess causal relationships
enhancing professional efficacy. As an interpersonal form of emotion and provide a more comprehensive understanding of how IER and
regulation, reassurance-seeking involves actively seeking validation, SS influence AB among university students over time. Second, our
comfort, or guidance from others during times of stress. This aligns sample was drawn from a single group of undergraduate students
with the hypothesis that IER strategies can strengthen social support, within one cultural context (Italy) and the specific setting of an online
amplifying its protective effects against psychological distress university, with students that may differ from those in traditional
(Marroquín, 2011; Gökdağ, 2021). Our findings are also in line with university environment (Pentina and Neeley, 2007). This unique
prior research demonstrating that reassurance-seeking fosters composition may limit the generalizability of our findings to other
supportive relationships that provide both emotional sustenance and student populations. Expanding research across diverse cultural and
practical resources to navigate academic challenges (Kahn and educational contexts is critical to enhancing the generalizability of
Byosiere, 1992; Tripon, 2023). However, while reassurance-seeking findings. Future investigations into traditional versus online
appears beneficial in this context, caution is warranted given university settings or different cultural attitudes towards IER
contrasting evidence highlighting potential risks if it becomes strategies can uncover nuanced insights. Finally, IER was assessed
excessive or chronic. For example, the pursuit of constant validation using a theory-driven instrument that focused exclusively on the
from others, such as frequently asking for approval or reassurance dispositional use of reassurance-seeking and venting as emotion
about one’s appearance or performance, can undermine self- regulation strategies. This approach limits our ability to determine
confidence and lead to emotional dependence (Dixon-Gordon et al., whether students employed other strategies to manage their emotions
2018b). Moreover, over time, excessive reassurance-seeking can related to academic stress. Future studies using data-driven
strain relationships, lead to dependency (Joiner et al., 1999) and instruments or observational methods could provide a more

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Messina et al. 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1536951

FIGURE 1
Final model of path analysis. Numbers refer to standardized paths (*p < 0.05; **p < 0.01).

TABLE 4 Direct, indirect and total effects estimated in the path analysis.

Predictor Mediator Output β z p

Direct effects
 Reassurance-seeking --- Exhaustion 0.04 0.53 0.591

 Reassurance-seeking --- Cynism 0.01 0.14 0.886

 Reassurance-seeking --- Professional efficiency 0.11 1.38 0.165

 Venting --- Exhaustion 0.24 2.64 0.008

 Venting --- Cynism 0.34 3.72 <0.001

 Venting Professional efficiency −0.20 −2.13 0.032

Indirect effects
 Reassurance-seeking Social support Exhaustion −0.12 −3.07 0.002

 Reassurance-seeking Social support Cynism −0.07 −2.04 0.040

 Reassurance-seeking Social support Professional efficiency 0.03 1.01 0.308

 Venting Social support Exhaustion 0.06 1.97 0.049

 Venting Social support Cynism 0.04 1.59 0.110

 Venting Social support Professional efficiency −0.02 −0.94 0.343

Total effects
 Reassurance-seeking --- Exhaustion −0.08 −1.06 0.284

 Reassurance-seeking --- Cynism −0.06 −0.85 0.390

 Reassurance-seeking --- Professional efficiency 0.14 2.01 0.043

 Venting --- Exhaustion 0.30 3.23 0.001

 Venting --- Cynism 0.38 4.13 <0.001

 Venting Professional efficiency −0.22 −2.36 0.018

comprehensive understanding of the range of strategies students use confirm the protective role of SS and underscore the significant
and identify which are most effective in mitigating AB. mediating function of IER. Specifically, reassurance-seeking
emerged as a positive interpersonal strategy, bolstering SS and
reducing burnout, while venting acted as a maladaptive strategy
Conclusion that eroded SS and exacerbated burnout symptoms. These results
align with existing literature on the stress-buffering effects of SS
This study enhances our understanding of the interplay and suggest that fostering adaptive IER, particularly through
between social support, interpersonal emotion regulation, and reassurance-seeking, while minimizing the use of venting, could
academic burnout among university students. Our findings be an effective strategy to reduce burnout and improve academic

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Messina et al. 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1536951

well-being. This study provides valuable insights for clinical Funding

practice aimed at reducing AB and promoting mental well-being
among university students. Based on our results, and in line with The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the
previous contributions (Tang et al., 2021; Messina et al., 2021; research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This research
Messina et al., 2024), group psychological interventions targeting received a grant from Mercatorum University (“Bandi competitivi di
IER could be promising to contrast AB. Ateneo, Grant No: 9-FIN/RIC”).

Data availability statement Conflict of interest

The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will The authors declare that the research was conducted in the
be made available by the authors, without undue reservation. absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could
be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member
Ethics statement of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer
review process and the final decision.
The studies involving humans were approved by Commissione
Etica Universitas Mercatorum. The studies were conducted in
accordance with the local legislation and institutional requirements. Generative AI statement
The participants provided their written informed consent to
participate in this study. The authors declare that Generative AI was used in the creation
of this manuscript. CHATGPT for editing.

Author contributions
Publisher’s note
IM: Conceptualization, Funding acquisition, Investigation,
Methodology, Supervision, Writing – original draft, Writing – review All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors
& editing. TR: Data curation, Investigation, Writing – original draft. and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated
RM: Funding acquisition, Writing – review & editing. CL: organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the
Methodology, Software, Supervision, Writing – review & editing. PS: reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim
Data curation, Formal analysis, Methodology, Writing – original that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed
draft, Writing – review & editing. by the publisher.

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