Academic burnout and professional self-concept of nursing students: A cross-sectional study

Background: Nursing students' academic burnout affects their learning behaviour and academic performance, which ultimately affect whether they will become a qualified nurse. However, little is known about the academic burnout of nursing students, or about its relationship with professional self-concept. Objectives: The purpose of this study was (1) to assess the academic burnout of nursing students and (2) to evaluate the impact of professional self-concept on academic burnout among nursing students. Design: A cross-sectional survey. Settings: The survey was carried out at a 3-year vocational medical college and a 4-year undergraduate medical college in Anhui province, which is located in east-central China. Participants: From March to May 2018, a total of 1139 full-time nursing students were investigated by convenient sampling, and 1083 valid questionnaires were recovered in this study. Methods: Basic information of students were collected. The Academic Burnout Scale (ABS) and the Nurses' Self Concept Instrument (NSCI) were used to evaluate students' academic burnout and professional self-concept. Results: The average of the overall score of the Academic Burnout Scale was 2.77 +/- 0.53, which closed to the median of the scale (median = 3). Whether class leader students or not has significant influence on influence students' academic burnout. Nursing students' professional self-concept had negative effect on their academic burnout. Conclusions: Nursing students' academic burnout level was close to the median on the Academic Burnout Scale, and improper behaviour was most severe. Positive professional self-concept can reduce the level of academic burnout. It is meaningful for nursing educators to take measures to decrease nursing students' academic burnout and enhance their professional self-concept.