School burnout and intimate partner violence: The role of self-control

Abstract

The deleterious effects of school burnout (academic-related stress) on academic, physiological, and cognitive outcomes have been previously established. However, school burnout's relationship to emotional and relationship outcomes as well as underlying factors contributing to their potential relationship are less understood. Therefore, three studies were conducted to fill this gap by examining the relationship between school burnout, self-control, emotional dysregulation, and intimate partner violence. In emerging adult samples, results demonstrate that school burnout is positively associated with emotional dysregulation, independent of anxiety and depression (Study 1), and that self-control moderates this relationship (Study 2) as well as the relationship between school burnout and intimate partner violence perpetration and victimization (Study 3). Specifically, the relationship between school burnout and emotional dysregulation (Study 2), as well as with both victimization and perpetration (Study 3), are stronger under lower levels of dispositional self-control. Findings from these studies identify school burnout as an important phenomenon of inquiry in relation to psychosocial outcomes among emerging adults. More importantly, findings suggest that self-control may serve as a potential point of intervention for ameliorating school burnout's damaging effects. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.