Unravelling Time in Higher Education: Exploring the Mediating Role of Psychological Capital in Burnout and Academic Engagement

The present study aims to understand the influence of time spent in higher education on academic burnout and engagement, exploring the mediating role of psychological capital (PsyCap). To this end, a data analysis was conducted on a sample of 4242 Portuguese undergraduate students. The results support a significant and negative relationship between time spent in higher education and PsyCap, a significant negative relationship between PsyCap and academic burnout, and a significant positive relationship between PsyCap and academic engagement. Additionally, a mediating effect of PsyCap was observed between time spent in higher education and academic burnout and engagement, to the extent that more time spent in higher education was associated with lower PsyCap, which, in turn, was related to higher burnout and lower academic engagement. However, this mediation was only fully evident in the relationship with burnout. These findings contribute to a better understanding of well-being in the university context, specifically in terms of how PsyCap changes over the time spent in higher education and its potential impact on student well-being. Limitations, suggestions for future studies, and implications derived from the results are also discussed.