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Student burnout and work engagement: a canonical correlation analysis

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Abstract

This school-based cross-sectional study, conducted among 872 grade thirteen students in Sri Lanka, assessed the complex relationship between burnout and work engagement using the validated Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey (MBI-SS) and Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-Student Version (UWES-S). In canonical correlation analysis (CCA), three subscale scores of MBI-SS [Exhaustion (EX), Cynicism (CY), reduced Professional Efficiency (rPE)] and three subscale scores of UWES-S [Vigor (VI), Dedication (DE), Absorption (AB)] were used as the criterion and predictor variables respectively. The full model across three functions yielded by CCA was statistically significant (p < 0.001), explaining 64.7% of the variance between the variable sets. The dimension reduction analysis considered the first two functions accounted for 52.9% and 22.7% of shared variance respectively. In Function 1, EX was the most relevant criterion variable contributing to burnout [structure coefficient (rs) = 0.998], while all three variables were positively related. Furthermore, VI (rs = −0.959) and AB (rs = −0.899) variables were the primary contributors to work engagement. The canonical correlation between the burnout and work engagement variables was found to be high (0.727). This complex, strong relationship between burnout and work engagement among students provides a platform to develop evidence-informed policies focusing on student engagement as a means of promoting mental well-being of students.

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Data Availability

The datasets generated during and analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgments

Authors would like to acknowledge all the students who participated in the study and the principals and the teaching staff of the selected schools for their support.

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Funding

This work was supported by the Postgraduate Research Grant scheme of the University Grants Commission-Sri Lanka [Grant number: UGC/DRIC/PG/2015(I)/RUSL/01].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Community Medicine - Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Saliyapura, Sri Lanka

    Nuwan Darshana Wickramasinghe

  2. Department of Community Medicine - Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka

    Devani Sakunthala Dissanayake

  3. Psychiatry Unit, Teaching Hospital-Kandy, Kandy, Sri Lanka

    Gihan Sajiwa Abeywardena

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  1. Nuwan Darshana Wickramasinghe
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  2. Devani Sakunthala Dissanayake
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  3. Gihan Sajiwa Abeywardena
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Contributions

NDW was the principal investigator of the study. NDW, DSD and GSA were involved in the conception and design of the study. NDW collected, analysed and interpreted data. DSD and GSA made substantial contribution to data analysis and interpretation. NDW prepared the manuscript. DSD and GSA made substantial contribution to revise the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Nuwan Darshana Wickramasinghe.

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Wickramasinghe, N.D., Dissanayake, D.S. & Abeywardena, G.S. Student burnout and work engagement: a canonical correlation analysis. Curr Psychol 42, 7549–7556 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-02113-8

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