Academic Burnout and the Protective Role of Self-Efficacy Among Sports Science Undergraduates in Indonesia: A Cross-Sectional Study

This cross-sectional observational study examined the association between self-efficacy and academic burnout among sports science undergraduates in Indonesia.BACKGROUND:Academic burnout is a significant mental health concern among university students, particularly those facing dual academic and athletic demands. Self-efficacy - the belief in one's ability to succeed despite challenges - has been proposed as a protective factor against burnout. However, evidence among Indonesian sports science students remains limited.STUDY POPULATION:Participants were junior-year sports science undergraduates (semesters 3-4) at State University Of Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia, recruited via simple random sampling during March to May 2025.MEASUREMENTS:Self-efficacy was measured using the General Self-Efficacy Scale-12 (GSES-12). Academic burnout was measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey (MBI-SS). Both instruments were administered on a single occasion in supervised classroom sessions.STATISTICAL ANALYSIS:Data were analyzed using Spearman rank-order correlation and binary logistic regression. Normality was assessed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 24.0. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.ETHICAL APPROVAL:This study was approved by the Biomedical Research Ethics Committee, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Hasanuddin (No. 95/UN4.6.4.5.31/PP36/2025) on February 11, 2025. All participants provided written informed consent prior to enrollment. The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.NOTE: This study was retrospectively registered. Data collection was conducted from March to May 2025, following ethical clearance obtained on February 11, 2025. Registration was performed after study completion due to the investigator's initial unawareness of prospective registration requirements. No outcome measures, study design, or statistical analysis plan were modified following data collection.