The effects of psychological maladjustments on predicting developmental trajectories of academic burnout

Abstract

We identified developmental trajectories of academic burnout related to psychological maladjustments (i.e., compulsion and depression) in 7th and 8th grade Korean adolescents. This is vital because it facilitates early awareness of burnout trends and related psychological maladjustments, which might influence mental health problems, thus promoting proactive prevention and intervention before deterioration. We utilized four-wave longitudinal data from 415 adolescents who completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey and Symptom Check List-47. Data were analysed using growth mixture modeling. The results indicated that developmental trajectories of academic burnout can be characterized by three linear trajectories, moderate-maintain' (N=213, 51.33%) which is related to depression, low-deteriorated' (N=15, 3.61%) which is related to compulsion, and well-adjusted' (N=158, 38.07%) which is related to no maladjustment symptoms. This longitudinal study promotes understanding of middle school students who may experience academic burnout and can facilitate early interventions for academic burnout.