The relationship between mindfulness and academic burnout in senior high school students during COVID-19 pandemic: the chain mediating role of social anxiety and smartphone addiction tendency

Recent epidemics have exacerbated the phenomenon of academic burnout among high school students, a significant issue given the established relationship between adult mindfulness and burnout in academic or professional settings. This study investigates the association between mindfulness and academic burnout in high school students, examining the mediating roles of social anxiety and smartphone addiction. We surveyed a sample of 828 high school students between the ages of 16 to 18 years old (M?=?16.79, SD?=?0.78) using a structured questionnaire. Our findings indicate that: (1) The level of mindfulness of high school students is negatively associated with academic burnout. (2) Social anxiety mediated the relationship between mindfulness and academic burnout. (3) Smartphone addiction tendency mediated the relationship between mindfulness and academic burnout. (4) Social anxiety and smartphone addiction tendency of high school students have serial mediating effect on the relationship between mindfulness and academic burnout. This study underscores mindfulness?s protective role against academic burnout in high school students, offering theoretical support for implementing mindfulness-based interventions.