An Exploratory Study of the Effects of Exhaustion and Social Support on Business Students' Persistence

INTRODUCTION Stress, Burnout, and Exhaustion in University Business Students Psychological distress among university students has been found to be significantly higher than among general population groups (Adlaf, Gliksman, Demers, & Newton-Taylor, 2001), and student experiences associated with academic stress can have short and long-term negative consequences (Orem, Petrac, & Bedwell, 2008), including not completing a degree (Vaez & Laflamme, 2008). Stress and its negative outcomes may persist long into the future impacting well-being and efficacy (Law, Sweeney, & Summers, 2008; Maslach, Schaufeli, & Leiter, 2001; Sweeney & Summers, 2002). Unfortunately, a number of different definitions of stress exist (Lyrakos, 2012), and this has resulted in a number of inconsistencies regarding measures and modeling. In regards to stress research in higher education, a particularly difficult issue is measuring stress solely resulting from academic activity, independent of other possible sources of stress (e.g. employment, relationships, and finances). One stress construct that has been widely represented in the psychology, sociology, and organizational behavior research literatures is job burnout (Ahola, Honkonen, Isometsa, Kalimo, Nykyri, Koskinen, Aromaa, & Lonnqvist, 2006; Cordes & Dougherty, 1993; Daraiseh, & Salem, 2006; Maslach & Jackson, 1986; Maslach et al., 2001; Maudgalya, Wallace). The construct has been operationalized for the study of student burnout (Balogun, Helgemoe, Pellegrini, & Hoeberlein, 1996; Schaufeli, Martinez, Pinto, Salanova, & Bakker, 2002; Weckwerth & Flynn, 2006; Yang & Farn, 2005), and many of these studies are specific to a certain university majors. Of note, however, is the general paucity of burnout research in business students despite a number of studies examining the construct in business professionals (Babakus, Cravens, Johnston, & Moncrief, 1999; Law et al., 2008; Lee & Ashforth, 1993; Moore, 2000; Sweeney & Summers, 2002). In one burnout study, Law (2007) did find that accounting student participation in co-curricular activities suggests higher levels of engagement the positive antithesis of burnout. Burnout is a psychological stress syndrome marked by a prolonged negative response to chronic emotional and interpersonal stressors at work (Ahola et al., 2006; Maslach & Jackson, 1986; Maslach et al., 2001). As this construct uniquely captures stress resulting exclusively from job experiences, it qualifies as a useful tool in assessing and researching stress related solely to coursework in university students, including business majors. Further, exhaustion, defined as the depletion of emotional and mental energy needed to meet job demands (Moore 2000, 336), represents the basic stress dimension and is the most thoroughly analyzed and reported component of burnout (Maslach et al., 2001). Someone who describes himself as experiencing burnout is generally referring to feelings of exhaustion (Maslach et al., 2001). They feel overextended, experience a diminution of energy and often abhor the thought of going to work (Cordes & Dougherty, 1993; Gaines & Jermier, 1983; Lee & Ashworth, 1993; Maslach, 1982; Maslach et al., 2001). As exhaustion is central to and synonymous with the burnout syndrome (Maslach et al., 2001), it is the focus of this study involving university business students. As a result of its chronic and intensely affective nature (Gaines & Jermier, 1983), exhaustion carries with it only negative outcomes (Cordes & Dougherty, 1993). Individuals who experience high levels of exhaustion often find their passion and commitment for work replaced by feelings of frustration and anxiety (Maslach & Leiter, 1997) and can suffer from physical and mental problems and strained relationships (Maslach & Jackson, 1986: Maslach et al., 2001). Organizations are adversely affected by exhausted individuals through lower productivity, absenteeism, and higher turnover (Cordes & Dougherty, 1993; Maslach & Leiter, 1997). …