The Effect of Burnout Syndrome on Graduate Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 outbreak has had an immense impact on academic life and mental health of graduate students. Graduate students had experienced obligatory curfews and quarantines due to the COVID-19 outbreak directly impacting their mental health and triggering academic burnout. This Ph.D. thesis aimed to evaluate the effect of Burnout Syndrome in graduate students during the COVID-19. The current thesis is composed of six chapters. Chapter one is an introductory chapter that introduces the etiology of Burnout Syndrome, concept of Academic Burnout, including its factors associated, implications and consequences, as well as the impact of COVID- 19 among graduate students. Chapter two presents the first part of the current research, which is a systematic review of the COVID-19 pandemic on academic burnout researched according to the PRISMA guideline. Chapter three displays the second part of this research, which is assessing the family functionality, perceived social support, and coping with burnout syndrome among graduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Chapter four explores the factors associated with burnout syndrome among graduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The last two chapters were a cross-section study with 519 graduate students from master's and Ph.D./DLA degrees. Chapter five presents the novel findings of this thesis, including the recommendations, and implications for practice and research. Finally, chapter six shows the list of publications related to the current thesis and other topics. The findings in this thesis can provide valuable insights into the patterns and predictors of academic burnout among graduate students. As well as helping higher education institutions, especially in challenging environments like a pandemic, to better recognize external factors contributing to academic burnout. Furthermore, these findings can be a resource for prospective graduate students and university administrators, aiding them in identifying, advocating for, and implementing necessary changes to support individuals experiencing academic burnout and proactively prevent its development in others.