This study examined the relationship between coping strategies, dispositional optimism, academic burnout and academic performance using structural equation modelling. Data were collected from a sample of 532 Spanish undergraduate students. Participants completed a battery of questionnaires including the LOT-R to assess optimism, CSI for the measurement of coping (adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies), and MBI-SS to evaluate academic burnout (exhaustion, cynicism, and efficacy). Academic performance was evaluated by the grade point average (GPA). The results showed that academic burnout was directly and positively associated with maladaptive coping but directly and negatively explained by adaptive coping. In addition, emotional exhaustion was significantly and negatively predicted by optimism. Finally, academic performance was significantly predicted by academic burnout. In conclusion, the findings suggest that both adaptive coping and optimism help to prevent academic burnout and, therefore, positively affect academic performance. Implications for intervention and future research are discussed.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationships between coping (i.e., adaptive or maladaptive), academic engagement dimensions (i.e., vigor, dedication and absorption) and academic performance, as well as the mediating role of academic engagement dimensions in the relationship between coping and academic performance. Data were collected from a sample of 808 undergraduate students at a Spanish university. Participants completed the Coping Strategies Inventory for the measurement of coping strategies and the Utrecht Work Engagement Student Scale for the measurement of academic engagement. Academic performance was evaluated by the grade point average. Results showed that adaptive coping, academic engagement dimensions and academic performance were positively related. Maladaptive coping was negatively related to performance, but there were no significant correlations between maladaptive coping and any academic engagement dimension. Mediation analysis showed that engagement dimensions mediated the relationship between adaptive coping and performance. Adaptive coping increased academic vigor, dedication and absorption and these dimensions improved performance in turn. In conclusion, this study provides evidence of the way in which academic engagement mediates between adaptive coping and performance. The theoretical interpretation of the results and the potential applications for intervention are discussed.

This study analyses the relationship between resilience, dispositional optimism and academic burnout dimensions (exhaustion, cynicism and reduced academic efficacy). A sample of 463 students from Universidad de León was evaluated. The following assessment instruments were employed: Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey (MBI-SS), Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (10-item CD-RISC) y Life Orientation Test Revised (LOT-R). The results showed that academic burnout is significantly related to resilience and optimism. In particular, resilience is significantly and positively related to efficacy whereas optimism is positively related to efficacy but negatively related to exhaustion. Moreover, it was found that resilience predicted efficacy while optimism predicted exhaustion. However, cynicism was no related to resilience nor to optimism. Finally, implications for prevention programs design are proposed.