A risk profile of sociodemographic factors in the onset of academic burnout syndrome in a sample of university students

Abstract

Studying for a university degree can be very demanding, as students must cope with a variety of academic, social and personal challenges. If these demands persist, and if there are insufficient resources with which to address them, they will eventually provoke stress. When stress is present for long periods of time, it can lead to academic burnout syndrome, the signs of which are emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and inadequate personal accomplishment. This paper considers certain sociodemographic factors (age, sex, children, marital status, employment status, degree subject, faculty, academic year) in the identification of a risk profile of developing burnout syndrome. This study is cross-sectional, associative and ex post facto. The Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey was administered to 445 students in the University of Granada. According to the risk profile obtained, first-year male students in Primary Education and Social Education courses are at risk of developing burnout syndrome.