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Psychological Mechanisms as Preventive Measures for University Student Burnout

Department of Psychology, Macquarie University

PSYU1102: Introduction to Psychology II

Rachel Beatriz O. Ygnacio

September 5, 2022

Word Count: 1283

Psychological Mechanisms as Preventive Measures for University Student Burnout

The university setting, with its various academic and social demands, is a significant

daily stressor for many students. The majority of university students experience elevated levels

of distress in response to various academic, social, and personal demands of university life

(Aguayo et al., 2019; Ezeh, Ezeh, & Okey, 2016; May, Bauer, & Fincham, 2015; Stallman,

2010). Because of these prolonged heightened levels of stress, there is growing concern about the

prevalence of burnout in university students and its effects. Burnout is a response to chronic

stress described by three dimensions: exhaustion, cynicism, and inefficacy, in combination with

lack of adequate coping (Maslach and Leiter, 2016; Bullock et al., 2017). Though originally

pertaining only to job-related stress, the scope of the definition has been widened to include

academic stressors (Cazan, 2015). Academic burnout has been extensively linked to decreased

academic performance, engagement and motivation, physical and mental health, and future work

performance (Cazan, 2015; May et al., 2015; Wörfel, 2015). Thus, there is a growing importance

for the development of effective preventive measures against burnout. Certain psychological

mechanisms, the cognitive processes that effect psychological outcomes (Sripada, Rauch, &

Liberzon, 2016), have been found to be useful in coping with stress and hindering burnout. This

essay will describe three mechanisms that university students may practise to protect themselves

against burnout and its many damaging effects.

One mechanism that can be useful in preventing burnout is mindfulness towards

emotion-focused coping. Kabat-Zinn (2015) defines mindfulness as “non-judgmental awareness”

to a specific object of attention. Many university students resort to emotion-focused coping

(Brougham, Zail, Mendoza, & Miller, 2009). As originally conceptualised by Lazarus and
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Folkman (1984), emotion-focused coping focuses on regulation of negative emotions that arise

with stress, as opposed to problem-focused coping, which aims to resolve the situation causing

the experienced stress. Emotion-focused coping has been associated with increased risk for

burnout (Chang, 2012; Vizoso, Arias-Gundin, & Rodriguez, 2017).

In a study of coping strategies of university students, Lazarus and Folkman (1985)

emphasise the importance of being able to apply problem-focused coping after initially engaging

in emotion-focused coping. Thus, the ability to be mindful and recognize this as a mere

automatic response that can be altered prompts a shift towards problem-focused coping, which

has been shown to hinder the development of burnout in students (Ogoma, 2020; Shin et al.,

2014; Vizoso et al., 2017).

For example, upon receiving a low grade on an exam, a student may first engage in

emotion-focused coping. They may resort to rumination and denial about the significance of the

exam (Lazarus & Folkman, 1985). Mindfulness would entail recognizing this type of coping,

how it is unhelpful, and how it can be altered. This will allow the student to shift towards

problem-focused coping. In turn, the student may engage in practical activities such as

effectively managing their time, studying and revising, and creating feasible schedules for study

prior to the next exam. These problem-focused coping activities, especially when repeatedly

exercised, will decrease stress and lower the student’s susceptibility to burnout (Vizoso et al.,

2017).

Another psychological mechanism that may prevent burnout is the practice of cognitive

control. Miller and Cohen (2001) define cognitive control as the intentional regulation of one’s

cognitions as well as behaviours in consistency with one’s goals. Examples include a person

following the disciplines of a diet or a parent resisting the urge to shout at a child in anger
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(Dixon, 2015). Because the primary goal for many students is to finish their education (Weier &

Lee, 2016), cognitive control would entail behaviours that would lead them to that goal, such as

effective time management.

However, because it takes considerable effort to exercise cognitive control, most people

resort to the easier task when given the choice (McGuire & Botvinick, 2010). This lack of

cognitive control may contribute to the use of maladaptive emotion-focused coping strategies

such as rumination, the repetitive focus on one’s negative thoughts or feelings (De Lissnyder et

al., 2012). As previously mentioned, many students resort to emotion-focused coping, and these

maladaptive strategies play significant roles in the development of burnout in a student (Vizoso

et al., 2017). Thus, cognitive control would help the student not only achieve their goals but also

prevent burnout.

An example in which a university student may exercise cognitive control is during a

period of studying (Dixon, 2015). While studying, the student will most likely have temptations

to engage in other recreational activities instead. Exercising cognitive control here would entail

discipline in the student and resistance against the urges to deviate from the task at hand,

encouraging them to resolve the current situation. Thus, this increased control allows the student

to engage in more problem-focused strategies and, in turn, achieve their goals and prevent the

development of burnout (Ogoma, 2020).

A third psychological mechanism that may be preventative against burnout is the

appropriate modification of one’s attributional style. Attributional styles are the ways in which

one explains the reasons for which an event has occurred (Abramson, Dykman, & Needles,

1991). These styles are classified according to three domains (Leighton and Terrell, 2020): the

internal-external domain, which refers to whether the individual perceives the cause to be
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themselves (internal) or another element of the situation such as circumstance (external); the

stable-unstable domain, which specifies whether factors causing the event are perceived to be

unchanging (stable) or flexible (unstable); and the global-specific domain, which refers whether

the individual perceives the event as affecting several areas of their life (global) or only one

(specific).

When an individual views the cause of a negative event as internal, stable, and global,

they are said to have a depressive attributional style (Abramson et al., 1991; Liu, Wang, & Peng,

2017). This attributional style has been linked to higher psychological distress and increased risk

of burnout in a person (Lee et al., 2018; Leighton & Terrell, 2020). Because a large percentage of

university students employ the depressive attributional style, they are at particular risk for

burnout (Ignatova et al., 2018).

An optimistic attributional style, on the other hand, in which causes are perceived as

external, unstable, and specific, has been reported to promote psychological resilience in

response to negative life events (Hirsch, Wolford, Lalonde, Brunk, & Parker-Morris, 2009).

Thus, an optimistic attributional style may be an effective protective factor against a student’s

psychological distress (Leighton & Terrell, 2020), decreasing chances of burnout.

Once aware of their attributional style, a university student may exercise control over the

attributions they make and align them with an optimistic attributional style (Hirsch et al., 2009;

Leighton & Terrell, 2020). For example, if a student suffering from depression has failed an

exam, instead of blaming themselves and feeling helpless, they may take into account external

factors such as the effects their depression has had on their capabilities. They may note the

instability or impermanence of depression, that it can be treated, as well as the fact that this

singular event affects only one specific part of his whole life. This optimistic attributional style
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will not only protect the student against burnout but also may improve quality of life and even

boost academic performance (Gordeeva, Sheldon, & Sychev, 2019).

Research has continually shown the potential for psychological mechanisms in being

strong protective factors against burnout. Problem-focused coping, cognitive control, and

optimistic attributional style as mentioned in this essay are only a few of many mechanisms that

form the backbone of one’s ability to cope. The importance of these mechanisms is reinstated

with the growing prevalence of burnout, and focus here should be given by university task forces

for the well-being of its students. Thus, though burnout in university students continues to be

cause for growing concern, with the combined efforts of university staff and students themselves,

there may be sensible optimism for the greater well-being of university students in the future.
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