The Relationship Between Social Support and Core Self-Evaluation with Academic Burnout: The Mediating Role of Life Satisfaction

This study aimed to investigate the mediating role of life satisfaction in the relationship of social support and core self-evaluation with academic burnout. The research method was a correlation. 407 Human science students of Tehran Azad University were selected by multistage cluster sampling method and responded to Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey  (Schaufeli, Martínez, Marques Pinto, Salanova, & Bakker, 2002), Satisfaction with Life Scale (Diener, Emmons, Larsen, & Griffin, 1985), Core Self Evaluation Scale (Judge, Erez, Bono, & Thoresen, 2003), and Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Scale (Zimet, Dahlem, Zimet & Farley, 1988). The results of the path analysis indicated a direct effect of core self-evaluation and social support on academic burnout as well as an indirect effect on decreasing academic burnout through life satisfaction. The results also showed that core self-evaluation and social support predicted 32% of the variance of life satisfaction and core self-evaluation; and core self-evaluation, social support, and life satisfaction explained 27% of the variance of academic burnout. Overall, the findings revealed the role of social support and core self-evaluation in increasing life satisfaction and reducing burnout, which is one of the causes of academic failure.