TITLE:
Psychological Suzhi and Academic Burnout among University Students: An Analysis of the Mediating Role of Academic Engagement and the Moderating Role of Peer Support
AUTHORS:
Jingyi Li, Xinqiang Wang
KEYWORDS:
Psychological Suzhi, Academic Burnout, Academic Engagement, Peer Support, College Students
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Applied Sciences,
Vol.16 No.1,
January
20,
2026
ABSTRACT: This study integrates social support theory with the operational sub-mode of psychological Suzhi to examine the relationship between psychological Suzhi and academic burnout among Chinese university students, as well as the mediating role of academic engagement and the moderating role of peer support. Data were collected via questionnaire surveys from 1098 Chinese university students, using the College Student Psychological Suzhi Scale, the Adolescent Student Burnout Inventory, the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-Student and the Peer Support Scale. The results revealed that: 1) Psychological Suzhi significantly and negatively predicted academic burnout; 2) Academic engagement partially mediated the relationship between psychological Suzhi and academic burnout; 3) Peer support positively moderated the pathway from psychological Suzhi to academic engagement, such that higher levels of peer support strengthened the positive effect of psychological Suzhi on academic engagement.