Is Burnout the Hidden Architecture of Academic Life in University Students? A Network Analysis of Psychological Functioning Within a Control–Value and Job Demands–Resources Framework

Demeter, Edgar; Rad, Dana; Bocoș, Mușata; Roman, Alina; Egerău, Anca; Ignat, Sonia; Dughi, Tiberiu; Dughi, Dana; Costin, Alina; Toderici, Ovidiu; Rad, Gavril; Marcu, Radiana; Roman, Daniela; Clipa, Otilia; Chiș, Roxana

doi:10.3390/bs16040493

Open AccessArticle

Is Burnout the Hidden Architecture of Academic Life in University Students? A Network Analysis of Psychological Functioning Within a Control–Value and Job Demands–Resources Framework

by

Edgar Demeter

¹

,

Dana Rad

^1,*

,

Mușata Bocoș

²

,

Alina Roman

¹,

Anca Egerău

¹,

Sonia Ignat

¹,

Tiberiu Dughi

^1,*,

Dana Dughi

¹,

Alina Costin

¹,

Ovidiu Toderici

¹,

Gavril Rad

¹,

Radiana Marcu

¹,

Daniela Roman

³,

Otilia Clipa

⁴

and

Roxana Chiș

¹

Center of Research Development and Innovation in Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences Psychology and Social Sciences, Aurel Vlaicu University of Arad, 310032 Arad, Romania

²

Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Babeş-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca, 400029 Cluj-Napoca, Romania

³

Department of Psychology, Faculty of Socio-Humanistic Sciences, University of Oradea, 410087 Oradea, Romania

⁴

Department of Science of Education, Ștefan cel Mare University of Suceava, 720229 Suceava, Romania

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Behav. Sci. 2026, 16(4), 493; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16040493

Submission received: 21 January 2026 / Revised: 18 March 2026 / Accepted: 22 March 2026 / Published: 26 March 2026

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Academic Anxieties and Coping Strategies)

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Abstract

Academic functioning in university students emerges from the interplay of motivational, self-regulatory, emotional, and contextual processes. The present study examined the network structure linking academic motivation, self-regulated learning, academic engagement, academic burnout, generalized anxiety, self-esteem, and students’ ratings of instruction. Participants were 530 university students from Western Romania (Mage = 28.86, SD = 9.75; 87.5% women). Data were collected through an online cross-sectional survey using validated self-report instruments. A Gaussian Graphical Model was estimated using the EBICglasso procedure to examine the unique associations among the study variables and their relative structural importance within the network. The results indicated a moderately dense psychological network, with academic burnout emerging as the most structurally central node. Intrinsic motivation toward achievement, identified regulation, and performance control were positioned within the adaptive core of the network, whereas burnout, anxiety, amotivation, and low self-esteem clustered within the maladaptive region. Academic engagement occupied an intermediary position linking motivational and self-regulatory processes. Overall, the findings support a systems-oriented interpretation of academic functioning, suggesting that burnout represents a key convergence point in students’ psychological functioning, while self-determined motivation and self-regulated learning may serve as protective processes. These results highlight the value of network analysis for identifying psychologically meaningful intervention targets in higher education.

Keywords: network analysis; academic burnout; academic motivation; self-regulated learning; academic engagement; generalized anxiety; self-esteem; instructional ratings; psychological networks

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MDPI and ACS Style

Demeter, E.; Rad, D.; Bocoș, M.; Roman, A.; Egerău, A.; Ignat, S.; Dughi, T.; Dughi, D.; Costin, A.; Toderici, O.; et al. Is Burnout the Hidden Architecture of Academic Life in University Students? A Network Analysis of Psychological Functioning Within a Control–Value and Job Demands–Resources Framework. Behav. Sci. 2026, 16, 493. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16040493

AMA Style

Demeter E, Rad D, Bocoș M, Roman A, Egerău A, Ignat S, Dughi T, Dughi D, Costin A, Toderici O, et al. Is Burnout the Hidden Architecture of Academic Life in University Students? A Network Analysis of Psychological Functioning Within a Control–Value and Job Demands–Resources Framework. Behavioral Sciences. 2026; 16(4):493. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16040493

Chicago/Turabian Style

Demeter, Edgar, Dana Rad, Mușata Bocoș, Alina Roman, Anca Egerău, Sonia Ignat, Tiberiu Dughi, Dana Dughi, Alina Costin, Ovidiu Toderici, and et al. 2026. "Is Burnout the Hidden Architecture of Academic Life in University Students? A Network Analysis of Psychological Functioning Within a Control–Value and Job Demands–Resources Framework" Behavioral Sciences 16, no. 4: 493. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16040493

APA Style

Demeter, E., Rad, D., Bocoș, M., Roman, A., Egerău, A., Ignat, S., Dughi, T., Dughi, D., Costin, A., Toderici, O., Rad, G., Marcu, R., Roman, D., Clipa, O., & Chiș, R. (2026). Is Burnout the Hidden Architecture of Academic Life in University Students? A Network Analysis of Psychological Functioning Within a Control–Value and Job Demands–Resources Framework. Behavioral Sciences, 16(4), 493. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16040493

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Is Burnout the Hidden Architecture of Academic Life in University Students? A Network Analysis of Psychological Functioning Within a Control–Value and Job Demands–Resources Framework

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