Emotional Exhaustion and Engagement in Higher Education Students during a Crisis, Lessons Learned from COVID-19 Experience in Italian Universities

Abstract

Italian university students face an uncertain future characterised by a competitive neoliberal academic environment with high demands and a weak labour market that often cannot hire those who are best qualified. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated students’ uncertainty and negatively affected their well-being. The purpose of this study is to explore perceptions of academic life during the pandemic and to examine the relationship between study load, reduced academic performance, internet addiction, academic self-efficacy, and engagement and emotional exhaustion. A sample of university students (N = 10,298) from 11 Italian universities completed a self-report questionnaire about their academic and personal lives between May and June 2021. We performed two multiple linear regressions and one ANOVA to highlight gender differences. Results indicate that female students reported lower levels of engagement and academic self-efficacy, and higher levels of exhaustion and study demands compared to male students, while older students generally appear to exhibit higher levels of well-being. Study load, reduced academic performance, and internet addiction showed a negative association with engagement, particularly the first two, and a positive association with exhaustion, while self-efficacy was positively associated with engagement and negatively associated with exhaustion. The results suggest the need to introduce additional forms of support, such as psychological support, internet addiction awareness courses or counseling services.

A higher-order life crafting scale validation using PLS-CCA: the Italian version

“…Several studies, in fact, highlighted how ageing is positively related to the development of coping strategies related to stress management. A study carried out during the pandemic (Ghislieri et al 2023), showed that older students are less exhausted and more engaged than their colleagues younger, so they seem to be able to recover resources useful to build their own academic and professional paths.…”

Tecnoestrés en el desgaste académico de estudiantes universitarios del Perú

“…El tecnoestrés y el DA no son propios de los estudiantes y docentes de la Educación Básica Regular del Perú (EBR), sino también de aquellos que ya egresaron y que ahora se encuentran cursando estudios superiores para tener oportunidades de crecimiento personal y familiar; bajo los enfoques de derecho, inclusión, equidad, igualdad de género y respeto por la diversidad humana se precisa incluirlos, ya que éste se constituye como el actual potencial humano de la nación, siendo importante su acompañamiento y labor tutorial (Ghislieri et al, 2023).…”

Risk factors of computer vision syndrome in students during online learning period

“…In this study, the causes and descriptions of individual respondents' conditions related to stress management were not investigated Int J Public Health Sci ISSN: 2252-8806  further. However, efforts to prevent CVS related to emotional exhaustion were needed to be recommended, including socialization efforts related to stress management that could be carried out by the student affairs unit or other related units [27]. In addition, socialization related to maintaining a healthy lifestyle and doing regular physical activity was also necessary to reduce stress and minimize burnout [28].…”