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. 2025 Jun 5;13(1):614.
doi: 10.1186/s40359-025-02880-0.

Examining the impact of positive psychological attributes on emotional stability and academic burnout among undergraduate students: a cross-sectional study

Sidra Sarwer  1 , Muhammad Naseem Abid  1 , Huang Chao  2 , Luo Siming  1 , Suad Dukhaykh  3
Affiliations

Examining the impact of positive psychological attributes on emotional stability and academic burnout among undergraduate students: a cross-sectional study

Sidra Sarwer et al. BMC Psychol. .

Abstract

Positive psychological attributes, such as mindfulness, grit, and adaptability, have been increasingly recognized for their role in promoting mental health and academic success among students. However, the extent to which these traits influence emotional stability and protect against academic burnout remains understudied, particularly in undergraduate populations. This cross-sectional study aimed to address a gap in literature by examining the impact of positive psychological attributes on emotional stability, and academic burnout among undergraduate students. A sample of 275 undergraduate students from various disciplines across two public and two private universities in Lahore, Pakistan, completed validated self-report questionnaire. Data were analyzed employing descriptive statistics and structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Study findings showed that positive psychological attributes has significant associations with higher emotional stability and lower levels of academic burnout. Specifically, mindfulness and grit emerged as the strongest predictors of reduced academic burnout. Additionally, emotional stability partially mediated the relationship between positive psychological traits and academic burnout, highlighting its critical role in student well-being. These findings not only enrich the theoretical understanding of psychological resilience in academic contexts but also offer practical implications. Specifically, they suggest that enhancing emotional stability could be an effective strategy to reduce academic burnout and improve students' sense of personal accomplishment. These insights hold implications for educational policies and mental health promotion programs in higher education settings.

Keywords: Academic burnout; Adaptability; Emotional stability; Grit; Higher education; Mindfulness.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Our study did not involve experiments on humans or human tissue samples. This research was approved by the Research Committee of the Institutional Ethical Review Board at the Division of Education, University of Education, Lahore, Pakistan (approval no. IERB-DOE/24 − 15/2024), on March 21, 2024, in accordance with international ethical standards, including the Helsinki Declaration of 1964 and its subsequent amendments. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Informed consent: Informed consent was obtained from all individual adult participants included in the study. Clinical trial number: Not applicable.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Conceptual framework
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Measurement model. (where the Fig. 2 indicated the factor loading values and inside circle R2 values)
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Structural equation model
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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