Studies have shown that academic (study-related) burnout can exist in the early stages of studying at the university level. Academic burn-out may have negative consequences such as slower progress in studies, increased dropout risk, and lower academic achievement.
Hailikari, et al (2025) explored the relationship between self-criticism, self-compassion and academic burn-out. Self-criticism was positively correlated to burn-out, while self-compassion was negatively correlated, suggesting self-compassion may help to reduce burn-out risks. They also found that students who scored higher on both self-criticism and burnout dimensions had significantly lower academic scores.
You can find-out more at:
Hailikari, T., Kosenkranius, M., Rönkkönen, S., & Virtanen, V. (2025). Self-criticism unveiled: Its interplay with burnout and self-compassion in higher education students' study achievement. Learning and Individual Differences, (120). ISSN 1041-6080, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2025.102692.