Affiliations:
1Faculty of Educational Sciences and Technology, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Baharu, Johor, Malaysia
2Faculty of Human Development, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Tanjong Malim, Perak Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia
3Faculty of Education, Huanggang Normal University, Huanggang, Hubei, China
Academic burnout, marked by emotional exhaustion and disengagement caused by long-term stress, is a serious psychological concern among vocational college students. Although childhood trauma has been recognized as an important risk factor for academic burnout, the mechanisms linking early adverse experiences to academic outcomes remain unclear. This study tested a moderated mediation model among 811 Chinese vocational college students using validated measures of childhood trauma, psychological resilience, perceived teacher support, and academic burnout. The results showed that childhood trauma was significantly and positively associated with academic burnout (β = 0.564, t = 18.558, p < 0.001). Psychological resilience partially mediated this relationship, with a significant indirect effect (95% CI = [0.067, 0.137]). In addition, perceived teacher support moderated the direct association between childhood trauma and academic burnout (β = −0.119, t = −3.768, p < 0.001), such that higher levels of teacher support weakened the negative impact of childhood trauma. These findings indicate that childhood trauma influences academic burnout both directly and indirectly through reduced resilience, and they highlight the protective role of supportive teacher–student relationships. The study suggests that strengthening students’ resilience and fostering supportive educational environments may be effective strategies for reducing academic burnout in vocational higher education.
Academic burnout, Childhood trauma, Psychological resilience, Teacher support, Vocational students
https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2026.01.023
Lu, W., Royo, M. A., Musta'amal, A. H., Wang, X., Lin, Y., & Tan, P. (2026). The relationship between childhood trauma and academic burnout in vocational college students: A moderated mediation model. International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 13(1), 217–227. https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2026.01.023