The effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy group counseling in enhancing academic resilience and reducing academic burnout among university students

Abstract

The current study looked at the effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) group counseling in boosting academic resilience and reducing academic burnout among university students. Academic burnout is a common psychological concern in higher education, and it can have a negative impact on both students' psychological well-being and academic achievement. A quasi-experimental study involving 52 undergraduate students who suffered from moderate to severe academic burnout was conducted using a pretest-posttest control group design. Eligible participants were randomly assigned to either the experimental group (n = 26) or the control group (n = 26). The Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey (MBI-SS) and the Academic Resilience Scale (ARS-30) were used to measure academic burnout and resilience, respectively. While students in the control group did not receive any intervention during the study period, individuals in the experimental group underwent ten 90-minute sessions of CBT group counseling. The findings revealed that participants who received the CBT intervention experienced a greater decrease in academic burnout and an increase in academic resilience than participants in the control group. ANOVA with repeated measures revealed a significant interaction effect between time and group for both outcome variables after the intervention. These findings imply that CBT group therapy is an effective way to reduce academic fatigue while also improving students' ability to cope with academic expectations. The research also has practical implications for improving guidance and counseling services in higher education through evidence-based preventive and promotional mental health programs.