Psychological distress linking quality of learning experience to academic burnout among nursing students: A single...

Academic burnout is a growing concern among nursing students due to the intense academic and clinical demands of their programs. Burnout, characterized by emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and diminished academic efficacy, is negatively associated with learning and professional outcomes. Prior research suggests that both the quality of learning experience and psychological distress significantly associated with burnout, yet limited studies have explored the mediating role of psychological distress. This study aimed to investigate the relationships among quality of learning experience, psychological distress, and academic burnout, and to assess whether psychological distress mediates the relationship between learning quality and burnout in undergraduate nursing students in Saudi Arabia.

A cross-sectional correlational design was employed. A total of 286 nursing students were recruited using purposive sampling from a Saudi nursing college. Data were collected using validated instruments: the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey, the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), and the Quality of Learning Experience Scale. Data was analyzed using regression and mediation analysis by (PROCESS Macro, Model 4).

The mediation analysis revealed psychological distress was positively associated with academic burnout (β = 0.90, p < .001), while quality of learning experience was negatively related to academic burnout (β = -0.31, p < .001). Quality of learning experience also had an indirect negative effect on academic burnout through psychological distress (β = -0.28, 95% CI: -0.38 to -0.17, p < .001), indicating that psychological distress partially mediated this relationship. The direct effect of quality of learning experience on academic burnout was -0.31 (p < .001), and the total effect was -0.59, showing that higher quality learning experiences were associated with lower academic burnout.

Both academic environment and psychological well-being significantly associated with burnout. Future longitudinal or experimental research is needed to evaluate whether supportive and effective learning environments can reduce burnout and enhance academic success.