Qian Hu, Ningling Yang, Qi Huang, Cong Cheng, Lei Xiao, Xingjing Gao, Fan Zhang

School of Public Health, Research Center for Medicine and Social Development, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, People’s Republic of China

Correspondence: Fan Zhang, School of Public Health, Research Center for Medicine and Social Development, Chongqing Medical University, No. 61 Daxuecheng Middle Road, Shapingba District, Chongqing, 400016, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86+13983782377, Fax +86+23+68485068, Email zhangfan@cqmu.edu.cn

Purpose: To analyze the relationship between life satisfaction and learning burnout, and explore the mediating effect of mobile phone addiction and psychological capital, and to provide a theoretical basis for the study of measures for medical postgraduate students to maintain a positive psychological state and keep interest and enthusiasm in academic life.
Methods: Convenience cluster sampling was used to recruit 628 medical postgraduate students in Chongqing, China. The Learning Burnout Questionnaire (LBQ), life satisfaction self-rated item, Mobile Phone Addiction Tendency Scale (MPATS), and the Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ) were used to examine participants. Hierarchical regression was used to analyze the effect of life satisfaction, mobile phone addiction, and psychological capital on learning burnout. A structural equation model (SEM) with maximum likelihood was used to evaluate the mediating effect of mobile phone addiction and psychological capital on the relationship between life satisfaction and learning burnout. The bootstrap method was used to confirm the significance of the mediating effect.
Results: The average learning burnout score was (55.81± 10.55). Results of hierarchical regression revealed that life satisfaction and psychological capital had a significant negative predictive effect on learning burnout, and mobile phone addiction had a positive predictive effect on learning burnout (p< 0.05). The SEM revealed that the total and direct effects of life satisfaction on learning burnout were significant, and the mediating effects of mobile phone addiction and psychological capital between life satisfaction and learning burnout were significant (p< 0.05).
Conclusion: Life satisfaction is a direct predictor of learning burnout among Chinese medical postgraduate students, and this relationship is mediated by mobile phone addiction and psychological capital.

Keywords: learning burnout, life satisfaction, mobile phone addiction, psychological capital, medical postgraduate students