As stated by the Goal Orientation Theory, students want to achieve a goal for multiple reasons, with each having a different impact on academic performance. This framework encompasses a three-factor model of goal achievement: a mastery goal, a performance-avoidance (PAv) goal, and a performance-approach (PAp) goal. Students may experience elevated stress levels and burnout due to adopting an ineffective approach to goal achievement. This can lead to a loss of interest in studies and even physical and psychological exhaustion. In severe cases, this may result in students abandoning their studies early. This study aims to integrate these factors into a comprehensive model. A cross-sectional study comprising 1497 Italian university students examined the mediating role of academic burnout (professional efficacy, cynicism, and emotional exhaustion) in the association between achievement goals (mastery, PAv, and PAp goals) and the intention to drop out (ID). The questionnaires were administered from October 2022 to September 2023. Structural equation modeling was employed to evaluate the association between variables. The results of the mediation analysis indicate that cynicism and professional efficacy fully mediate the association between mastery and dropout. Cynicism (β = −0.28, p < 0.001) and professional efficacy (β = −0.17, p < 0.001) were both negatively associated with ID, while they partially mediate the association between PAv goals and ID (cynicism: β = 0.21, p ≤ 0.001; professional efficacy: β = 0.05, p ≤ 0.001), and between PAp goals and ID via professional efficacy (β = −0.04, p ≤ 0.001). This study contributes to the currently limited literature on the relationship between achievement goals, burnout, and ID in a sample of university students. The findings of this study may have useful implications for the application of interventions that impact students’ well-being and academic success, potentially limiting their possible dropout.

Studies have shown that the school atmosphere perceived by students can play a key role in promoting their well-being and success in school. No study to date has analyzed whether the students’ perceived school atmosphere might contribute to school refusal (SR), which in turn might reduce students’ engagement and promote underachievement. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 528 Italian high school students (M_age = 16.08, SD = 1.38; 50.8% males, 47% females, and 2.3% not declared), with the aim of assessing the role of the mediation of SR (Anxious Anticipation, Difficult Transition, Interpersonal Discomfort, and School Avoidance) in the association between students’ perceived school atmosphere (Student Relations, Student–Teacher Relations, Educational Climate, Sense of Belonging, and Interpersonal Justice) and school engagement and underachievement. Data were collected using validated instruments, including the SChool REfusal EvaluatioN for school refusal, the Multidimensional School Climate Questionnaire for school atmosphere, and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale for school engagement. To evaluate the association between variables, we performed structural equation modeling with latent variables. Mediation analysis indicated that Difficult Transition fully mediates the association between Sense of Belonging and school engagement (β = 0.20, p ≤ 0.05). This study extends the knowledge of school refusal behavior.

School Atmosphere (SAt) plays a crucial role in shaping students’ academic success and emotional well-being. When students perceive a negative SAt, this can lead to feelings of School Alienation (SAl), which are associated with School Refusal (SR). Despite previous research on school climate and SR, the dimension of SAt, which encompasses the intangible aspects (quality of relationships and justice perceptions) of the school environment, remains a topic of limited examination. Furthermore, the mediating role of SAl between these variables remains underexplored. This study aims to examine how SAl (learning alienation, teacher alienation, and classmate alienation) mediates the relationship between students’ perceptions of SAt (educational climate, student–teacher relations, student relations, sense of belonging, and interpersonal justice) and SR (anxious anticipation, difficult transition, interpersonal discomfort, and school avoidance). Data were collected from 528 Italian high school students (aged 14–20), and using structural equation modeling (SEM), the direct and indirect relationships between SAt variables, dimensions of SAl, and SR were assessed. The results indicated that negative perceptions of interpersonal justice and sense of belonging were strongly associated with higher levels of learning and teacher alienation, which are linked to SR, particularly anxious anticipation and difficult transition. The results emphasize the importance of promoting fairness, belonging, and supportive student–teacher relationships to mitigate alienation and improve student success. This study highlights the need for comprehensive strategies to foster positive school environments and prevent disengagement and absenteeism, ultimately promoting academic success and student well-being.

Adolescents’ psychological well-being results from the interaction between individual traits, such as optimism and perfectionism, and contextual factors. According to the Self-Determination Theory (SDT), the living environment can promote well-being by fulfilling basic psychological needs. Perceived parental support or control may influence the satisfaction of these needs and the development of dispositional traits, with significant consequences on well-being. This study, conducted on a sample of Italian adolescents (N = 500, M_age = 18; SD = 0.7), aimed to explore the mediating role of dispositional optimism and both adaptive and maladaptive perfectionism in the relationship between perceived parental support and control and adolescents’ well-being. Structural Equation Model (SEM) results showed that optimism mediated the relationship between paternal support and well-being (β = 0.029, p = 0.05), while adaptive perfectionism mediated the effects of both maternal and paternal support on well-being (β = 0.062, p < 0.001; β = 0.038, p = 0.001). In contrast, maternal control had an indirect negative impact on well-being through dispositional optimism and maladaptive perfectionism (β = −0.045, p = 0.012; β = −0.040, p = 0.009), whereas paternal control was not significant. These findings underscore the importance of supportive parenting in promoting adolescent psychological well-being and the risks associated with excessive control.