Peer Bullying Victimisation and School Burnout in Adolescents: A Serial Mediation Model of the Meaning of School and Academic Grit

Abstract

School burnout has been increasingly observed among high school students. Although several studies have examined the factors influencing school burnout, the mechanisms through which peer bullying victimisation contributes to students’ burnout remain unclear. In particular, the mediating processes underlying the association between peer bullying victimisation and school burnout, as well as the roles of individual and contextual protective factors, are still not well understood. Therefore, this study explored the mediating roles of the meaning of school (perceived value and significance of school) and academic grit (persistent effort towards academic goals) in the relationship between peer bullying victimisation and school burnout. A total of 683 Turkish high school students participated (Mage = 15.95; SDage = 1.04; 56.1% female) in a cross-sectional survey study. Data were collected using validated psychometric scales. Serial mediation analyses revealed small but significant indirect effects, indicating that the meaning of school and academic grit sequentially mediated the relationship between peer bullying victimisation and school burnout. These findings contribute to the literature on factors associated with school burnout among adolescents.