International Journal of

ADVANCED AND APPLIED SCIENCES

EISSN: 2313-3724, Print ISSN: 2313-626X

Frequency: 12

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 Volume 12, Issue 11 (November 2025), Pages: 106-120

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 Original Research Paper

Digital burnout, work alienation, and turnover intention: Unveiling the mediating role of toxic leadership among Generation Y lecturers in leading universities in Medan

 Author(s): 

 Agus Susanto 1, *, Elyzabeth Wijaya 1, Nasib Nasib 1, Zakia Fadila 2, Ratih Amelia 3

 Affiliation(s):

  1Department of Management, Institut Bisnis Informasi Teknologi dan Bisnis, Medan, Indonesia
  2Department of Accounting, Politeknik Ganesha Medan, Medan, Indonesia
  3Department of Marketing, Politeknik Unggul LP3M, Medan, Indonesia

 Full text

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 * Corresponding Author. 

   Corresponding author's ORCID profile:  https://orcid.org/0009-0008-5402-6747

 Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2025.11.011

 Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine how digital burnout and work alienation influence turnover intention, with toxic leadership as a mediating factor, in order to better understand the psychological challenges faced by higher education teachers. Data were collected through a survey of 293 Generation Y lecturers from five leading universities in Medan City: University of Muhammadiyah North Sumatra, University of Prima Indonesia, University of Pembangunan Panca Budi, University of Islam North Sumatra, and University of Potensi Utama. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test the proposed hypotheses within the framework of organizational behavior and toxic leadership theory. The results show that digital burnout and work alienation significantly increase turnover intention, while toxic leadership strengthens the relationship between these stressors and lecturers’ desire to leave. The study emphasizes the importance of positive leadership for faculty well-being and retention. Although focused on higher education, further research is needed to confirm these findings in other professional fields. Future studies could also include psychological safety, perceived organizational support, and job satisfaction as mediating factors to provide deeper insights into turnover among millennial professionals.

 © 2025 The Authors. Published by IASE.

 This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

 Keywords

 Digital burnout, Work alienation, Toxic leadership, Turnover intention, Higher education

 Article history

 Received 14 June 2025, Received in revised form 7 October 2025, Accepted 19 October 2025

 Funding

This study was funded by the Directorate of Research, Technology, and Community Service (DRTPM), Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, under the Fundamental Research Grant Scheme. 

 Acknowledgment

Finally, the authors extend their deepest gratitude to the Directorate of Research, Technology, and Community Service (DRTPM) of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology for their financial support through the Fundamental Research Grant scheme. This assistance is instrumental in supporting the smooth implementation of research and serves as a crucial foundation for the development of scientific studies that contribute to strengthening the quality of higher education in Indonesia. 

 Compliance with ethical standards

 Ethical considerations

This study was conducted in accordance with the ethical standards of research involving human participants. Participation was voluntary, and respondents provided informed consent prior to completing the questionnaire. Confidentiality and anonymity of all participants were strictly maintained.

 Conflict of interest: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

 Citation:

 Susanto A, Wijaya E, Nasib N, Fadila Z, and Amelia R (2025). Digital burnout, work alienation, and turnover intention: Unveiling the mediating role of toxic leadership among Generation Y lecturers in leading universities in Medan. International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 12(11): 106-120

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 Tables

  Table 1  Table 2  Table 3  Table 4  Table 5  Table 6  Table 7 

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