TY - JOUR
T1 - Shielding Against Academic Burnout
T2 - How Empathy and Emotion Regulation Safeguard Nursing Students in the Middle East
AU - El-Monshed, Ahmed Hashem
AU - Altheeb, Marwan
AU - Loutfy, Ahmed
AU - Alkubati, Sameer A.
AU - Khonji, Leena Mohamed
AU - Bayoumi, Magda Mohamed
AU - Sanad, Hala Mohamed
AU - Eweida, Rasha Salah
AU - Ali, Ahmed Salah
AU - Saad, Moustafa Tag El Melook
AU - El-Gazar, Heba Emad
AU - Fayed, Sara Mohamed
AU - Abualruz, Hasan
AU - Albagawi, Bander
AU - Alrasheeday, Awatif M.
AU - Ahmed, Fatma Refaat
AU - Al-Ahdal, Saddam Ahmed
AU - Abousoliman, Ali D.
AU - Salameh, Basma
AU - Elzeiny, Amina
AU - Zoromba, Mohamed Ali
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2026 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
PY - 2026
Y1 - 2026
N2 - Background: – Academic burnout is a critical issue in nursing education. Empathy and emotion regulation (ER) are potential protective factors, but their interplay is poorly understood in Middle Eastern contexts. Purpose: – The aim was to examine the relationships between academic burnout, empathy, and ER among nursing students in the Middle East, testing ER as a mediator and moderator. Methods: – A cross-sectional survey of 1562 nursing students from 6 Middle Eastern countries was conducted. Results: – Higher empathy predicted lower academic fatigue (β = −.152) and disengagement (β = −.180) and higher perceived academic performance (β =.207). ER mediated the effects of empathy on disengagement and performance and significantly moderated the empathy–fatigue relationship. Conclusions: – Empathy protects against burnout, but its efficacy depends on ER skills and cultural context. Integrating ER training into nursing curricula is essential to cultivate student resilience and sustainable practice.
AB - Background: – Academic burnout is a critical issue in nursing education. Empathy and emotion regulation (ER) are potential protective factors, but their interplay is poorly understood in Middle Eastern contexts. Purpose: – The aim was to examine the relationships between academic burnout, empathy, and ER among nursing students in the Middle East, testing ER as a mediator and moderator. Methods: – A cross-sectional survey of 1562 nursing students from 6 Middle Eastern countries was conducted. Results: – Higher empathy predicted lower academic fatigue (β = −.152) and disengagement (β = −.180) and higher perceived academic performance (β =.207). ER mediated the effects of empathy on disengagement and performance and significantly moderated the empathy–fatigue relationship. Conclusions: – Empathy protects against burnout, but its efficacy depends on ER skills and cultural context. Integrating ER training into nursing curricula is essential to cultivate student resilience and sustainable practice.
KW - cross-cultural
KW - psychological stress
KW - resilience
KW - undergraduate nursing education
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105035025611
U2 - 10.1097/NNE.0000000000002143
DO - 10.1097/NNE.0000000000002143
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:105035025611
SN - 0363-3624
VL - Publish Ahead of Print
JO - Nurse Educator
JF - Nurse Educator
ER -