How Do Elementary Students' Interpersonal Relationships Predict Lower Academic Burnout? Moderated Mediation Models of a Longitudinal Study

Academic burnout is negatively associated with students' overall well-being, hindering their personal growth and long-term development. Positive teacher-student and peer relationships serve as protective factors that may alleviate the exacerbation and severity of academic burnout. This study examined the longitudinal associations between students' interpersonal relationships with teachers and peers and their subsequent levels of academic burnout, as well as the mediating role of self-esteem in these associations. In addition, the moderating role of mindfulness in the first stage of the mediation model was investigated. Using a two-wave longitudinal correlational design, 184 students from Grades 3 to 6 in a Chinese elementary school completed the measures of teacher-student relationships, peer relationships, self-esteem, and mindfulness at Time 1, and academic burnout at Time 2 (6 months later). The results indicated that self-esteem significantly mediated the longitudinal associations between both teacher-student relationships and academic burnout, and peer relationships and academic burnout. Moreover, mindfulness moderated all first-stage paths of the mediation models. These findings underscore the importance of supportive interpersonal relationships in reducing academic burnout and suggest that mindfulness may strengthen the positive links between students' relationships with teachers/peers and their self-esteem. Overall, fostering positive relationships with both teachers and peers may be a key component of interventions aimed at enhancing students' self-esteem and buffering against academic burnout.