The effect of self-compassion on academic burnout in undergraduate students

Abstract

Background and Aim of Study: Due to high academic demands, undergraduate students are prone to academic burnout. Academic burnout is emotional exhaustion caused by the pressures of academic tasks. Having self-compassion can be a protective factor against academic burnout. When dealing with numerous academic pressures and demands, undergraduate students with high self-compassion will be able to see themselves and their situations positively, resulting in lower academic burnout. The aim of the study: to investigate the effect of self-compassion on academic burnout in undergraduate students in Indonesia. Material and Methods: This study was conducted using the quantitative approach with a non-experimental design. The Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey (MBI-SS) was used to measure academic burnout (α=0.824), and the measurement of self-compassion used the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) (α=0.878), which has been adapted into the Indonesian language. A sample of undergraduate students in Indonesia between the ages of 17 and 25 was taken using the convenience sampling technique. This study used simple linear regression analysis. Results: The regression analysis from data of 474 undergraduate students shows that there is a negative and significant effect of self-compassion on academic burnout in undergraduate students (R2=0.076, F=38.960, p<0.001). Furthermore, the variable of gender and a current semester each has a significant effect on academic burnout, but the finding reveals the opposite with the age variable. Conclusions: Self-compassion has a negative effect on academic burnout in undergraduate students. This explains that an increase in self-compassion will be followed by reduction in academic burnout in undergraduate students.