The Association Between Extraversion and Neuroticism, Academic Burnout, and Psychological Well-being, in University Students in Malaysia

Abstract

Academic burnout is common with university students however, the exploration between personality traits and burnout remains limited in the Malaysian context. This study explored the relationship between extraversion, neuroticism, and academic burnout in university students in Malaysia, mediated by depression. 64 university students from the University of Nottingham Malaysia (83% F; mean age = 21.2 ± 1.75 years) completed multiple validated questionnaires assessing personality traits (Big Five Inventory), academic burnout (Oldenburg Burnout Inventory-Student Survey) and psychological well-being (General Well-Being Scale). Pearsons and Bayesian correlations examined correlational relationships whereas mediation analyses with bias-corrected bootstrapping (1,000 iterations, 95% CI) tested indirect effects. The analyses revealed that greater extraversion correlated with lower neuroticism and lower academic burnout, whereas higher neuroticism predicted increased burnout. Two mediation models found that depression mediated the association between neuroticism and academic burnout while extraversion did not. Our findings indicate depression as a link between neuroticism and academic burnout in Malaysian university students. Universities should prioritise emotion regulation interventions and emotional intelligence workshops for students with high neuroticism, to effectively prevent academic burnout.

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ORCID for Alessio Bellato: orcid.org/0000-0001-5330-6773

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