The Influence of Perceived Stress, Loneliness, and Learning Burnout on University Students' Educational Experience

University is a pivotal period in a young adult's life; however, for some, university may be a recipe for disaster due to the stress and pressures that come along with university education. The purpose of the present study was to examine students' feelings of stress, loneliness, and levels of learning burnout in order to determine if these factors are related to students' academic experience, including academic coping ability, overall academic performance, and educational engagement. An online self-report questionnaire was administered to 150 undergraduate students recruited from the Psychology participant pool at a medium-sized Canadian University. There were no significant gender differences in academic stress; however, females showed higher levels of social support coping. Feelings of loneliness and learning burnout negatively influenced students' overall academic experience and their perceptions of stress. Academic coping ability did not have a mediating effect on the relation between feelings of loneliness and learning burnout; however, avoidance and approach coping ability mediated the relation between loneliness and academic performance among students. Findings from this study may inform the development of intervention and prevention programs to help students more effectively manage academic stressors, which may affect their educational experience. Keywords: Loneliness; learning burnout; perceived stress; academic performance; educational engagement; academic coping ability; educational experience. ********** University is a momentous period in every young adult's life, marked with many new experiences, challenges, and life events. During this transitional period, university students acquire more independence, experience changes in social systems, gain important life skills (e.g., problem solving, time management, etc.), and on top of all that, go to school to get a degree in order to have a brighter future. For some, university may be a positive change of pace; for others, it can be a recipe for disaster, particularly if they are having difficulty coping with new pressures and sources of stress. Accordingly, researchers have found that stressors such as loneliness and burnout have become a common problem among students and something that they may encounter during their educational career (Arkar, Sari, & Fidaner, 2004; Lin & Huang, 2012; Ponzetti, 1990; Wiseman, Guttfreund, & Lurie, 1995). Loneliness is conceptualized as an unpleasant emotional experience that results from the deficiencies in an individual's social network and relationships (see DiTommaso & Spinner, 1997; Wiseman et al., 1995; Wright, King, & Rosenberg, 2014). The negative emotional state of loneliness involves feeling void, secluded and worthless. Essentially, several factors can initiate the feeling of loneliness, including a lack of satisfaction with one's social relationships, expectations not meeting the reality of social status, or a deficit in emotional connectivity. To clarify, loneliness does not solely refer to a lack of social interaction; it is also possible to experience loneliness while one is among others (Pinquart & Sorensen, 2001). Heinrich and Gullone (2006) suggested that humans are inherently social beings who strive to achieve a sense of belonging, and fulfilling this need helps to maintain positive physical and mental health; accordingly, researchers have found that those who report feelings of loneliness are more likely to experience poor physical health, depression and psychological distress (Arkar et al., 2004; Berkman & Syme, 1979; Mahon, Yarcheski, & Yarcheski, 1993; Wei, Russell, & Zakalik, 2005; Wright et al., 2014). In addition, feelings of loneliness can further lead to a negative impact on learning ability and learning achievement among students (Benner, 2011). Previous research on burnout focused primarily on studying this concept in terms of how it related to occupational work (e. …