Proactive personality, professional self-efficacy and academic burnout in undergraduate nursing students in China.

Abstract Background Academic burnout can affect nursing students' academic performance and psychological well-being. Little is known about the associations between proactive personality, professional self-efficacy and academic burnout. Purpose To assess the prevalence of academic burnout in undergraduate nursing students and to explore the associations between proactive personality, professional self-efficacy and academic burnout among nursing students in China. Methods This study used a cross-sectional design. Undergraduate nursing students were recruited from five medical schools in China to participate in an online survey from April to May 2020. The Proactive Personality Scale, Professional Self-Efficacy Scale for Nursing Students and Academic Burnout Scale were used to measure students' proactive personality, professional self-efficacy and academic burnout. Results A total of 1219 nursing students completed the questionnaire. The prevalence of academic burnout was 31.5% in nursing students, and improper behaviour showed the highest subscale score. Proactive personality, professional self-efficacy and academic year were negatively associated with nursing students' academic burnout. Conclusions Academic burnout is prevalent in undergraduate nursing students in China. This study contributes to the understanding of the associations between proactive personality, professional self-efficacy and academic burnout in nursing students. Nursing educators should develop strategies to enhance students' proactivity and professional self-efficacy to decrease their academic burnout.