Abstract
The burnout syndrome is the consequence of chronic stress that overwhelms an individual’s resources to cope with occupational or academic demands. Frenetic, under-challenged, and worn-out are different burnout subtypes. Mindfulness has been recognized to reduce stress, comprising five facets (observing, describing, acting with awareness, non-judging of inner experience, and non-reactivity to inner experience). This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the relationship between mindfulness facets, perceived stress, and burnout subtypes in a sample of 1233 students of Education, Nursing, and Psychology degrees from different universities of Valencia (Spain). Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was computed showing an adequate fit (Chi-square, CFI, TLI, RMSEA, and SRMR). Four mindfulness facets (all but observing) significantly correlated with general second-order mindfulness. Unexpected results were found: Acting with awareness facet was positively associated with frenetic subtype, while the non-reacting facet was positively associated with frenetic and under-challenged subtype. Ultimately, mindfulness facets negatively predicted the perceived stress levels, which in turn, predicted burnout. However, mindfulness plays different roles in the early stages of burnout syndrome (i.e., frenetic and under-challenged).
Highlights
As the effect of a low cases-to-parameter ratio on the estimates is less severe than having a small sample size [69], the size of our sample (n = 1192) probably pays off part of the negative consequences related to abundance of parameters in our model. In this first study exploring the relationship between mindfulness facets and burnout subtypes in university students whilst considering the intermediary effect of perceived academic stress, expected and unexpected associations between mindfulness and burnout subtypes have been found
Along with the anticipated negative predictive effect of mindfulness on perceived stress, unexpected positive associations were found for acting with awareness facet with overload dimension, and between non-reacting mindfulness facet with the same burnout dimension and with lack of development
Montero-Marin et al [28] explored mindfulness–burnout relationships in a sample of healthcare professionals and not university students, so burnout constructs may not be totally overlapped with slightly different interpretation of the content of the scale depending on the sample
Summary
When environmental demands overwhelm an individual’s resources, high levels of stress are perceived and threaten personal wellbeing [1,2]. Undergraduate and graduate students consistently experience elevated perceived stress due to academic, social, and financial pressures. In this regard, 50.8% of undergraduate students reported being “often” or “always” stressed [3]. Elevated levels of stress have a negative effect on mental and physical health [4]. A survey of undergraduate and graduate students found this factor to be the most usually reported impediment to academic performance [5]
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