Stress, self-compassion, and school burnout in Thai high school students

Thiti Ponkosonsirilert; Orawee Laemsak; Kullaya Pisitsungkagarn; Somboon Jarukasemthawee; Siripat Audboon; Thanapol Leangsuksant

doi:10.1515/ijamh-2020-0109

Article

Stress, self-compassion, and school burnout in Thai high school students

Thiti Ponkosonsirilert , Orawee Laemsak , Kullaya Pisitsungkagarn , Somboon Jarukasemthawee , Siripat Audboon and Thanapol Leangsuksant

Published/Copyright: August 26, 2020

Published by

Become an author with De Gruyter Brill

Submit Manuscript Author Information Explore this Subject

From the journal International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health Volume 34 Issue 5

Abstract

Objectives

High school has been recognized as a critical period for many students. With the upcoming competition for university admission, they tend to encounter significant stress. Exceeding its optimal level, stress became debilitating and could escalate into school burnout, which entailed various negative outcomes. The current study, hence, was aimed to identify a protective factor that helped mediate the relationship between stress and school burnout in Thai high school students. Self-compassion was selected here, given its relevant conceptual grounds and its cultural relevance (i.e., Thai individuals shown to be particularly oriented toward self-compassion).

Methods

Data were collected from 170 Thai high school students, who responded to measures of stress, self-compassion, and school burnout. A structural equation model (SEM) was used to test the hypothetical model where the positive association between stress and school burnout was mediated by self-compassion.

Results

All indices of the model fits were confirmed, and the proposed model explained 80% of the variance in school burnout.

Conclusion

The role of self-compassion in alleviating the impact of stress on school burnout was shown and relevant implications were discussed.

Keywords: high school students; school burnout; self-compassion; stress; Thai

Corresponding author: Kullaya Pisitsungkagarn, Ph.D. & D.Psych., Assistant Professor in Counseling Psychology at Faculty of Psychology, Chulalongkorn University, 8th floor BMS Bldg, Rama 1 Rd, Patumwan, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand. Phone: +66 2218 9909, Fax: +66 2218 9923, E-mail: kullaya.d@chula.ac.th

a
Author Note: The corresponding author is an Assistant Professor in Counseling Psychology at the Faculty of Psychology, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Research funding: None declared.
Author contributions: All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.
Competing interests: Authors state no conflict of interest.
Informed consent: Informed consent was obtained from all individuals included in this study.
Ethical approval: Ethical clearance had been obtained from an Institutional Review Board (i.e., Number 207.1/60)

References

1. Louis, P, Emerson, A. Adolescent adjustment in high school students: a brief report on mid-adolescence transitioning. Educ Sci Psychol 2012;22:15–24.Search in Google Scholar

2. Thomas, S. Stress in adolescents attempting entrance exams to professional courses in relation to regularity of routine, study habits and parental expectations. Indian J Health Wellbeing 2016;7:251–3.Search in Google Scholar

3. Jones, WJ, Rhein, DL. Tutorial schools in Thailand: perceptions and motivations of Thai high school students. Fire: Forum Int Res Educ 2017;4:66–83. https://doi.org/10.18275/fire201704021137.Search in Google Scholar

4. Assana, S, Laohasiriwong, W, Rangseekajee, P. Quality of life, mental health and educational stress of high school students in the northeast of Thailand. J Clin Diagn Res 2017;11:VC01–VC6.10.7860/JCDR/2017/29209.10429Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central

5. Palirat, K. Stress in high school students in Bangkok being tutored for national admission examination [Master’s thesis]. Bangkok: Chulalongkorn University; 2014.Search in Google Scholar

6. Pothi, P, Intharatsami, P, Sumalee, S, Sangchan, W. Comparative admission analysis of higher education in Thailand and New Zealand. J Humanit Soc Sci Univ Phayao 2015;3:65–75.Search in Google Scholar

7. Kitcharern, N. Reality and rhetoric of changes in Thailand’s university admission policy, 1999–2017. J Soc Sci 2019;15:117–38, Naresuan University.Search in Google Scholar

8. Inprom, P, Nimnuan, C. Stress among mathayom suksa sixth students in admission to university in Bangkok. J Ment Health Thai 2006;14:182–90.Search in Google Scholar

9. Myers, DG. Psychology, 3rd ed. US: Worth Publishers; 1986.Search in Google Scholar

10. Aypay, A. A positive model for reducing and preventing school burnout in high school students. Educ Sci Theor Pract 2017;17:1345–59.Search in Google Scholar

11. Coon, D, Mitterer, JO. Psychology: a journey. Belmount, CA: Thomson Higher Education; 2008.Search in Google Scholar

12. Onuoha, UC, Idemudia, ES. Personal attributes influencing school burnout among graduating students. Gend Behav 2017;15:8479–91.Search in Google Scholar

13. Lin, S-H, Huang, Y-C. Life stress and academic burnout. Act Learn High Educ 2013;15:77–90. https://doi.org/10.1177/1469787413514651.Search in Google Scholar

14. Maslach, C, Schaufeli, WB, Leiter, MP. Job burnout. Annu Rev Psychol 2001;52:397–422. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.52.1.397.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

15. Salmela-Aro, K, Kiuru, N, Pietikäinen, M, Jokela, J. Does school matter? The role of school context in adolescents’ school-related burnout. Eur Psychol 2008;13:12–23. https://doi.org/10.1027/1016-9040.13.1.12.Search in Google Scholar

16. Schaufeli, WB, Martínez, IM, Pinto, AM, Salanova, M, Bakker, AB. Burnout and engagement in university students: a cross-national study. J Cross Cult Psychol 2002;33:464–81. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022102033005003.Search in Google Scholar

17. May, RW, Bauer, KN, Fincham, FD. School burnout: diminished academic and cognitive performance. Learn Indiv Differ 2015;42:126–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2015.07.015.Search in Google Scholar

18. Bask, M, Salmela-Aro, K. Burned out to drop out: exploring the relationship between school burnout and school dropout. Eur J Psychol Educ 2013;28:511–28. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-012-0126-5.Search in Google Scholar

19. IsHak, W, Nikravesh, R, Lederer, S, Perry, R, Ogunyemi, D, Bernstein, C. Burnout in medical students: a systematic review. Clin Teach 2013;10:242–5. https://doi.org/10.1111/tct.12014.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

20. Maritta, V, Ruthaychonnee, S, Minna, A. Survey of adolescents’ stress in school life in Thailand: implications for school health. J Child Health Care 2017;21:222–30. https://doi.org/10.1177/1367493517708476.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

21. Hu, Q, Schaufeli, WB. The factor validity of the Maslach burnout inventory-Student Survey in China. Psychol Rep 2009;105:394–408. https://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.105.2.394-408.Search in Google Scholar

22. Lee, J, Puig, A, Lea, E, Lee, SM. Age-related differences in academic burnout of Korean adolescent. Psychol Sch 2013;50:1015–31. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.21723.Search in Google Scholar

23. Neff, K. Self-compassion: an alternative conceptualization of a healthy attitude toward oneself. Self Ident 2003;2:85–101. https://doi.org/10.1080/15298860309032.Search in Google Scholar

24. Bluth, K, Roberson, PNE, Gaylord, SA. A pilot study of a mindfulness intervention for adolescents and the potential role of self-compassion in reducing stress. Explore 2015;11:292–5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2015.04.005.Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central

25. Sorkkila, M, Tolvanen, A, Aunola, K, Ryba, TV. The role of resilience in student-athletes’ sport and school burnout and dropout: a longitudinal person-oriented study. Scand J Med Sci Sports 2019;29:1059–67. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.13422.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

26. Bluth, K, Mullarkey, M, Lathren, C. Self-compassion: a potential path to adolescent resilience and positive exploration. J Child Fam Stud 2018;27:3037–47. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-018-1125-1.Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central

27. Bluth, K, Eisenlohr-Moul, TA. Response to a mindful self-compassion intervention in teens: a within-person association of mindfulness, self-compassion, and emotional well-being outcomes. J Adolesc 2017;57:108–18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2017.04.001.Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central

28. Richards, KAR, Levesque-Bristol, C, Templin, TJ, Graber, KC. The impact of resilience on role stressors and burnout in elementary and secondary teachers. Soc Psychol Educ 2016;19:511–36. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-016-9346-x.Search in Google Scholar

29. Olson, K, Kemper, KJ, Mahan, JD. What factors promote resilience and protect against burnout in first-year pediatric and medicine-pediatric residents?. J Evidence-based Integr Med 2015;20:192–8. https://doi.org/10.1177/2156587214568894.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

30. Neff, KD, Lamb, LMLopez, SJ, editor Self-compassion. West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell; 2009. pp. 864–7.Search in Google Scholar

31. Neff, KD, Pisitsungkagarn, K, Hsieh, Y-P. Self-compassion and self-construal in the United States, Thailand, and Taiwan. J Cross Cult Psychol 2008;39:267–85. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022108314544.Search in Google Scholar

32. Wang, L, Fan, X, Willson, VL. Effects of nonnormal data on parameter estimates and fit indices for a model with latent and manifest variables: an empirical study. Struct Equ Model: A Multidiscip J 1996;3:228–47. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705519609540042.Search in Google Scholar

33. Williamson, GCohen, S. Perceived stress in a probability sample of the US. In: Spacapan, S, Oskamp, S, editors. The social psychology of health. Newsbury Park, CA: Sage; 1988. 31–67 p.Search in Google Scholar

34. Raes, F, Pommier, E, Neff, KD, Gucht, DV. Construction and factorial validation of a short form of the Self‐Compassion Scale. Clin Psychol Psychother 2011;18:250–5. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.702.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

35. Fothergill, A, Edwards, D, Burnard, P. Stress, burnout, coping and stress management in psychiatrists: findings from a systematic review. Int J Soc Psychiatr 2004;50:54–65. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020764004040953.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

36. Smith, RE. Toward a cognitive-affective model of athletic burnout. J Sport Exerc Psychol 1986;8:36–50. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsp.8.1.36.Search in Google Scholar

37. Chang, K-H, Lu, FJH, Chyi, T, Hsu, Y-W, Chan, S-W, Wang, ETW. Examining the stress-burnout relationship: the mediating role of negative thoughts. PeerJ 2017;5:e4181https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.4181.Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central

38. Zeinivand, M, Moradi, S, Norouzi, Z, Khalili, E, Ramazani, A. Examination of self-compassion as a mediator of the relationship between academic burnout and mental health in Payame Noor University (PNU) students of Dareshahr City. Rom J Sch Psychol 2017;10:7–17.Search in Google Scholar

39. Walker, SP. Mindfulness and burnout among competitive adolescent tennis players. S Afr J Sports Med 2013;25. https://doi.org/10.17159/2413-3108/2013/v25i4a344.Search in Google Scholar

40. Eriksson, T, Germundsjö, L, Åström, E, Rönnlund, M. Mindful self-compassion training reduces stress and burnout symptoms among practicing psychologists: a randomized controlled trial of a brief web-based intervention. Front Psychol 2018;9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02340.Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central

41. Kyeong, LW. Self-compassion as a moderator of the relationship between academic burn-out and psychological health in Korean cyber university students. Pers Indiv Differ 2013;54:899–902. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2013.01.001.Search in Google Scholar

42. Coaston, SC. Self-care through self-compass: a balm for burnout. Prof Couns 2017;7:285–97. https://doi.org/10.15241/scc.7.3.285.Search in Google Scholar

43. Gilbert, P. Introducing compassion-focused therapy. Adv Psychiatr Treat 2009;15:199–208. https://doi.org/10.1192/apt.bp.107.005264.Search in Google Scholar

44. Donovan, E, Rodgers, RF, Cousineau, TM, McGowan, KM, Luk, S, Yates, K, et al. Brief report: feasibility of a mindfulness and self-compassion based mobile intervention for adolescents. J Adolesc 2016;53:217–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2016.09.009.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

45. Gomez, M, Vincent, A, Toussaint, LL. Correlates of resilience in adolescents and adults. Int J Clin Psychiatr Ment Health 2013;1:18–24. https://doi.org/10.12970/2310-8231.2013.01.01.2.Search in Google Scholar

46. Ríos-Risquez, MI, García-Izquierdo, M, Sabuco-Tebar, EA, Carrillo-Garcia, C, Martinez-Roche, ME. An exploratory study of the relationship between resilience, academic burnout and psychological health in nursing students. Contemp Nurse 2016;52:430–9. https://doi.org/10.1080/10376178.2016.1213648.Search in Google Scholar PubMed

47. Singh, AK, Choubey, AK, Singh, S. Does mindfulness enhance psychological well-being of the students. J Psychosoc Res 2016;11:241–50.Search in Google Scholar

48. Atanes, AC. Study burnout, academic engagement, mindfulness and self-compassion in health and social care students: a cross-sectional study design [dissertation]. Bangor, UK: Bangor University; 2020.Search in Google Scholar

Received: 2020-05-11

Accepted: 2020-08-02

Published Online: 2020-08-26

You are currently not able to access this content.

Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/ijamh-2020-0109

Keywords for this article

high school students; school burnout; self-compassion; stress; Thai