School burnout as a mediator variable in the relationship between time perspective and intensity of depression in adolescents
School burnout as a mediator variable in the relationship between time perspective and intensity of depression in adolescents

Summary/Abstract: Expressive disorders and school burnout syndrome in students are phenomena that are characterized by a long duration and a gradual escalation of symptoms. The research results so far have confirmed that both of these issues constitute significant factors hindering or even blocking the development of an individual. At the same time, both are associated with the loss of resources enabling efficient functioning in the environment and coping with challenges. One such resource is the ability to maintain balance between different time perspectives. The aim of the conducted research project was to examine the mediation role of school burnout on the relationships between time perspective indicators and the level of depression in the group of adolescents. The study sample was 355 students (61.6% of whom were girls) from 3rd grade of post-primary schools (mean age 18.5). The study utilized three psychological tools i.e. the SSBS Secondary School Burnout Scale, full version of the Perspective Inventory by Zimbardo and Boyd and the Kutcher Adolescent Depression Scale. The data obtained confirmed the presence of significant relationships between time perspective indicators and depression and school burnout in students. The results of the mediation analysis revealed that the past time perspective and the fatalistic present time perspective are both directly linked to depression and may be related to it through school burnout. It has also been shown that concentration on short-term hedonistic goals becomes significant for the severity of depression only after the level of school burnout is taken into account in the model. The future time perspective was only indirectly related to the level of depression via the mediator variable - school burnout. The obtained data suggest the necessity to design aid measures aimed at adolescents experiencing depression and school burnout that take into account the development of effective mental time management.

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