Are we burning out during our studies?: Determinants of academic burnout in students of the University of Zagreb

Sagorijevanje studenata postaje sve učestalija tema za mnoge istraživače, no i dalje je riječ o relativno novom i neistraženom području. Akademsko sagorijevanje je važan psihološki problem koji sa sobom nosi osjećaj emocionalne, fizičke i kognitivne iscrpljenosti te osjećaj otuđenosti. Brojna dosadašnja istraživanja pokazuju da oko polovice studenata iskazuje simptome sagorijevanja ili su u riziku od sagorijevanja. U skladu s tim, važno je utvrditi rasprostranjenost sagorijevanja među studentima te utvrditi obilježja koja mu doprinose. Polazišnu teorijsku osnovu ovog istraživanja je činio Lazarusov model stresa, dok je cilj istraživanja bio utvrditi odrednice akademskog sagorijevanja kod studenata Sveučilišta u Zagrebu u kontekstu sociodemografskih obilježja i obilježja studiranja. Istraživanje je provedeno metodom web ankete na uzorku od 764 studenta različitih fakulteta Sveučilišta u Zagrebu. Rezultati su pokazali da nema statistički značajne razlike između studentica i studenata u akademskom sagorijevanju, da stariji studenti ostvaruju više rezultate na obje dimenzije sagorijevanja te da studenti koji pokazuju niži stupanj zadovoljstva studijem i svojim uspjehom na studiju imaju viši stupanj otuđenosti i iscrpljenosti. Dobiveni rezultati ukazuju na potrebu za razvojem intervencija usmjerenih na prevenciju akademskog sagorijevanja kod studentske populacije.Burnout among students has become a more common topic among researchers, but it is still a relatively new and poorly researched theme. Academic burnout is an significant psychological problem among students which leads to emotional, physical and cognitive exhaustion and sense of alienation. Numerous studies show that about half of students show symptoms of burnout or that they are in risk of burnout. Accordingly, it is important to determine the prevalence of burnout among students and to identify the characteristics that contribute to it. The theoretical framework of this study was Lazarus' model of stress, while the aim of the research was to examine determinants of academic burnout among students of the University of Zagreb in the context of socio-demographic characteristics and study characteristics. The study was conducted as web survey on a sample of 764 students from different faculties at University of Zagreb. The results have shown that there is no statistically significant differences between male and female students in academic burnout, that older students achieved higher scores on both dimensions of burnout, and that there is a negative correlation between study satisfaction, satisfaction with academic success and academic burnout. The results indicate a need to develop interventions aimed at the prevention of academic burnout in the student population. Keywords: academic burnout, Lazarus' model of stress, mental health, students of the University of Zagre