ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Positive Psychology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1562562
This article is part of the Research TopicThe Burnout Spectrum in Schools and Sports: Students, Teachers, Athletes, and Coaches at RiskView all 6 articles
Psychological Well-Being as a Buffer Against Burnout and Anxiety in Academic Achievement Situations Among Physical Education Students
Provisionally accepted
- 1Faculty of Physical Education, Gdansk University of Physical Education and Sport, Gdańsk, Poland
- 2Faculty of Education, Taiyuan Normal University, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China
- 3Faculty of Sports Science, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
- 4Faculty of Social and Humanities, University WSB Merito Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Pomeranian, Poland
- 5Department of Physical Education, Tianjin Chengjian University, Tianjin, Tianjin Municipality, China
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This study examined the complex relationship between burnout, well-being, and academic achievement anxiety in physical education students. The focus was on how well-being moderates burnout and academic achievement anxiety. Using a range of psychological scales, we found significant positive correlations between self-acceptance and positive psychological dimensions such as Purpose in Life and Environmental Mastery. Facilitating anxiety was found to enhance selfacceptance and professional efficacy, while debilitating anxiety strongly correlated with burnout symptoms, including cynicism and exhaustion. Personal growth and autonomy were positively linked to psychological resilience and well-being. The study also highlighted the mediating role of psychological well-being in reducing the impact of burnout on academic anxiety. These findings suggest that moderate anxiety can be motivating, but high levels of debilitating anxiety pose a significant risk for burnout. Interventions aimed at fostering emotional resilience, self-acceptance, and personal growth may help mitigate the effects of anxiety and burnout. The study's limitations include its focus on a specific student population and cross-sectional design, which restrict generalizability and causal inferences. Future research should explore these relationships over time and in broader student populations, incorporating contextual factors and testing intervention effectiveness.
Keywords: burnout, Academic anxiety, wellbeing, Physical Education, mediation effect
Received: 18 Feb 2025; Accepted: 15 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Li, Li, Li, Lipowski, Shang and Wilczyńska. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Zhan Shang, Department of Physical Education, Tianjin Chengjian University, Tianjin, 130012, Tianjin Municipality, China
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