{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,31]],"date-time":"2026-08-31T06:15:52Z","timestamp":1788156952087,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":62,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,31]],"date-time":"2026-08-31T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788134400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Psychol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Academic burnout is an important manifestation of academic maladjustment among university students and is closely related to their academic development and mental health. The association between intolerance of uncertainty and academic burnout may partly reflect differences in students\u2019 future-oriented cognition. This study examined the mediating role of future time perspective in the association between intolerance of uncertainty and academic burnout and tested the moderating role of psychological flexibility in the association between future time perspective and academic burnout.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A convenience sample of 855 Chinese university students from five provinces participated in a cross-sectional questionnaire survey. Participants completed measures of intolerance of uncertainty, future time perspective, psychological flexibility, and academic burnout. Pearson correlations were calculated, and PROCESS Model 14 was estimated using 5,000 bootstrap resamples and HC3 robust standard errors. Analyses adjusted for sex, age, year of study, and academic discipline.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Higher intolerance of uncertainty was associated with higher academic burnout and lower future time perspective. Lower future time perspective was also associated with higher academic burnout. Future time perspective partially mediated the association between intolerance of uncertainty and academic burnout, and the direct effect of intolerance of uncertainty on academic burnout remained significant. Psychological flexibility moderated the future time perspective\u2013academic burnout association, such that the negative association and the corresponding conditional indirect effect were stronger at higher levels of psychological flexibility. However, the interaction had a negligible incremental effect (\u0394R\n                      <jats:sup>2<\/jats:sup>\n                      \u202f=\u202f0.007; Cohen\u2019s f\n                      <jats:sup>2<\/jats:sup>\n                      \u202f=\u202f0.013).\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Discussion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study found that intolerance of uncertainty was positively associated with academic burnout among university students and that future time perspective partially mediated this association. Psychological flexibility moderated the association between future time perspective and academic burnout, such that the negative association was stronger at higher levels of psychological flexibility. Because this study used a cross-sectional self-report design, the temporal ordering or causal relationships among the variables cannot be determined from these data. Future longitudinal research on academic burnout among university students is needed to verify these associations.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2026.1922858","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,31]],"date-time":"2026-08-31T05:40:56Z","timestamp":1788154856000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["The relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and academic burnout among university students: the mediating role of future time perspective and the moderating role of psychological flexibility"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Zijie","family":"Wang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Communication, Qufu Normal University","place":["Rizhao, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Youzeng","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Basic Sciences, Shandong Water Conservancy Vocational College","place":["Rizhao, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mengyi","family":"Pang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Communication, Qufu Normal University","place":["Rizhao, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zhenguo","family":"Xu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Communication, Qufu Normal University","place":["Rizhao, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,31]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1215549","DOI":"10.3389\/feduc.2023.1215549","article-title":"Exhausting and difficult or easy: the association between psychological flexibility and study related burnout and experiences of studying during the pandemic","volume":"8","author":"Asikainen","year":"2023","journal-title":"Front. Educ."},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"32","DOI":"10.1186\/s41155-022-00236-w","article-title":"The Iranian form of psychometric properties of the multidimensional psychological flexibility inventory","volume":"35","author":"Azadfar","year":"2022","journal-title":"Psicol. Refl. Cr\u00edt."},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"676","DOI":"10.1016\/j.beth.2011.03.007","article-title":"Preliminary psychometric properties of the acceptance and action questionnaire-II: a revised measure of psychological inflexibility and experiential avoidance","volume":"42","author":"Bond","year":"2011","journal-title":"Behav. Ther."},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"339","DOI":"10.1007\/s10734-010-9334-6","article-title":"Can a self-efficacy-based intervention decrease burnout, increase engagement, and enhance performance? A quasi-experimental study","volume":"61","author":"Bres\u00f3","year":"2011","journal-title":"High. Educ."},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"931","DOI":"10.1016\/S0005-7967(01)00092-4","article-title":"The intolerance of uncertainty scale: psychometric properties of the English version","volume":"40","author":"Buhr","year":"2002","journal-title":"Behav. Res. Ther."},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"83","DOI":"10.1186\/s12909-021-03094-9","article-title":"Burnout and dropout intention in medical students: the protective role of academic engagement","volume":"22","author":"Calcatin","year":"2022","journal-title":"BMC Med. Educ."},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"30","DOI":"10.1016\/j.janxdis.2016.02.007","article-title":"Into the unknown: a review and synthesis of contemporary models involving uncertainty","volume":"39","author":"Carleton","year":"2016","journal-title":"J. Anxiety Disord."},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"105","DOI":"10.1016\/j.janxdis.2006.03.014","article-title":"Fearing the unknown: a short version of the intolerance of uncertainty scale","volume":"21","author":"Carleton","year":"2007","journal-title":"J. Anxiety Disord."},{"key":"ref9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e10362","DOI":"10.7717\/peerj.10362","article-title":"Effects of personality on the developmental trajectories of academic burnout among Korean medical students","volume":"8","author":"Chae","year":"2020","journal-title":"PeerJ"},{"key":"ref10","volume-title":"Statistical power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences","author":"Cohen","year":"1988"},{"key":"ref11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"332","DOI":"10.1016\/j.learninstruc.2010.03.002","article-title":"Understanding the association between future time perspective and self-regulated learning through the lens of self-determination theory","volume":"21","author":"De Bilde","year":"2011","journal-title":"Learn. Instr."},{"key":"ref12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"499","DOI":"10.1037\/0021-9010.86.3.499","article-title":"The job demands-resources model of burnout","volume":"86","author":"Demerouti","year":"2001","journal-title":"J. Appl. Psychol."},{"key":"ref13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"215","DOI":"10.1016\/S0005-7967(97)00070-3","article-title":"Generalized anxiety disorder: a preliminary test of a conceptual model","volume":"36","author":"Dugas","year":"1998","journal-title":"Behav. Res. Ther."},{"key":"ref14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"336","DOI":"10.1037\/1528-3542.7.2.336","article-title":"Anxiety and cognitive performance: attentional control theory","volume":"7","author":"Eysenck","year":"2007","journal-title":"Emotion"},{"key":"ref15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"100805","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jcbs.2024.100805","article-title":"The Chinese version of the multidimensional psychological flexibility inventory short form (MPFI-24): assessment of psychometric properties using classical test theory and network analysis","volume":"33","author":"Fang","year":"2024","journal-title":"J. Contextual Behav. Sci."},{"key":"ref16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"791","DOI":"10.1016\/0191-8869(94)90048-5","article-title":"Why do people worry?","volume":"17","author":"Freeston","year":"1994","journal-title":"Personal. Individ. Differ."},{"key":"ref17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"400","DOI":"10.1037\/xge0000050","article-title":"An investigation of the efficacy of acceptance-based behavioral therapy for academic procrastination","volume":"144","author":"Glick","year":"2015","journal-title":"J. Exp. Psychol. Gen."},{"key":"ref18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"166","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jcbs.2017.02.003","article-title":"Psychological flexibility as a malleable public health target: evidence from a representative sample","volume":"6","author":"Gloster","year":"2017","journal-title":"J. Contextual Behav. Sci."},{"key":"ref19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"488","DOI":"10.1038\/nrn3524","article-title":"Uncertainty and anticipation in anxiety: an integrated neurobiological and psychological perspective","volume":"14","author":"Grupe","year":"2013","journal-title":"Nat. Rev. Neurosci."},{"key":"ref20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"589","DOI":"10.1007\/s11218-021-09621-2","article-title":"Understanding procrastination: a case of a study skills course","volume":"24","author":"Hailikari","year":"2021","journal-title":"Soc. Psychol. Educ."},{"key":"ref21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"11062","DOI":"10.1007\/s12144-023-05222-8","article-title":"Reciprocal relationships between future time perspective and self-control among adolescents in China: a longitudinal study","volume":"43","author":"Hao","year":"2024","journal-title":"Curr. Psychol."},{"key":"ref22","volume-title":"Introduction to Mediation, Moderation, and Conditional Process Analysis: A Regression-Based Approach","author":"Hayes","year":"2022"},{"key":"ref23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1016\/j.brat.2005.06.006","article-title":"Acceptance and commitment therapy: model, processes and outcomes","volume":"44","author":"Hayes","year":"2006","journal-title":"Behav. Res. Ther."},{"key":"ref24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"269","DOI":"10.1177\/1088868315596286","article-title":"Multidimensional perfectionism and burnout: a meta-analysis","volume":"20","author":"Hill","year":"2016","journal-title":"Personal. Soc. Psychol. Rev."},{"key":"ref25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"636","DOI":"10.1016\/j.brat.2012.06.007","article-title":"A cognitive model of pathological worry","volume":"50","author":"Hirsch","year":"2012","journal-title":"Behav. Res. Ther."},{"key":"ref26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"513","DOI":"10.1037\/0003-066X.44.3.513","article-title":"Conservation of resources: a new attempt at conceptualizing stress","volume":"44","author":"Hobfoll","year":"1989","journal-title":"Am. Psychol."},{"key":"ref27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"103","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev-orgpsych-032117-104640","article-title":"Conservation of resources in the organizational context: the reality of resources and their consequences","volume":"5","author":"Hobfoll","year":"2018","journal-title":"Annu. Rev. Organ. Psychol. Organ. Behav."},{"key":"ref28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"20430","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-024-71696-6","article-title":"Understanding time perspective\u2019s influence on academic burnout and achievement in Chinese undergraduates","volume":"14","author":"Hong","year":"2024","journal-title":"Sci. Rep."},{"key":"ref29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1300","DOI":"10.1177\/1745691620966789","article-title":"Student motivation and associated outcomes: a meta-analysis from self-determination theory","volume":"16","author":"Howard","year":"2021","journal-title":"Perspect. Psychol. Sci."},{"key":"ref30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"394","DOI":"10.2466\/PR0.105.2.394-408","article-title":"The factorial validity of the Maslach burnout inventory\u2013student survey in China","volume":"105","author":"Hu","year":"2009","journal-title":"Psychol. Rep."},{"key":"ref31","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"166","DOI":"10.1016\/j.lindif.2007.08.001","article-title":"Beliefs and perceptions about the future: a measurement of future time perspective","volume":"18","author":"Husman","year":"2008","journal-title":"Learn. Individ. Differ."},{"key":"ref32","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"106","DOI":"10.1007\/s10648-024-09930-w","article-title":"Emotion regulation and academic burnout among youth: a quantitative meta-analysis","volume":"36","author":"Iuga","year":"2024","journal-title":"Educ. Psychol. Rev."},{"key":"ref33","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e0256402","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0256402","article-title":"Prevalence of burnout among university students in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"16","author":"Kaggwa","year":"2021","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"key":"ref34","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"865","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cpr.2010.03.001","article-title":"Psychological flexibility as a fundamental aspect of health","volume":"30","author":"Kashdan","year":"2010","journal-title":"Clin. Psychol. Rev."},{"key":"ref35","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"558","DOI":"10.4097\/kja.19087","article-title":"Multicollinearity and misleading statistical results","volume":"72","author":"Kim","year":"2019","journal-title":"Korean J. Anesthesiol."},{"key":"ref36","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"741","DOI":"10.1016\/j.beth.2012.05.003","article-title":"The impact of treatment components suggested by the psychological flexibility model: a meta-analysis of laboratory-based component studies","volume":"43","author":"Levin","year":"2012","journal-title":"Behav. Ther."},{"key":"ref37","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"77","DOI":"10.1177\/1469787413514651","article-title":"Life stress and academic burnout","volume":"15","author":"Lin","year":"2014","journal-title":"Act. Learn. High. Educ."},{"key":"ref38","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1518","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2019.01518","article-title":"The relationship between future time perspective and self-esteem: a cross-cultural study of Chinese and American college students","volume":"10","author":"Lyu","year":"2019","journal-title":"Front. Psychol."},{"key":"ref39","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"533","DOI":"10.1177\/0961463X16662669","article-title":"Development and validation of future time perspective scale for adolescents and young adults","volume":"25","author":"Lyu","year":"2016","journal-title":"Time Soc."},{"key":"ref40","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"387","DOI":"10.1007\/s10648-020-09533-1","article-title":"Does burnout affect academic achievement? A meta-analysis of over 100,000 students","volume":"33","author":"Madigan","year":"2021","journal-title":"Educ. Psychol. Rev."},{"key":"ref41","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"397","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev.psych.52.1.397","article-title":"Job burnout","volume":"52","author":"Maslach","year":"2001","journal-title":"Annu. Rev. Psychol."},{"key":"ref42","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"831","DOI":"10.1037\/bul0000051","article-title":"Anxiety and working memory capacity: a meta-analysis and narrative review","volume":"142","author":"Moran","year":"2016","journal-title":"Psychol. Bull."},{"key":"ref43","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"104","DOI":"10.1080\/02673843.2019.1596823","article-title":"The impact of stress on students in secondary school and higher education","volume":"25","author":"Pascoe","year":"2020","journal-title":"Int. J. Adolesc. Youth"},{"key":"ref44","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"315","DOI":"10.1007\/s10648-006-9029-9","article-title":"The control-value theory of achievement emotions: assumptions, corollaries, and implications for educational research and practice","volume":"18","author":"Pekrun","year":"2006","journal-title":"Educ. Psychol. Rev."},{"key":"ref45","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"879","DOI":"10.1037\/0021-9010.88.5.879","article-title":"Common method biases in behavioral research: a critical review of the literature and recommended remedies","volume":"88","author":"Podsakoff","year":"2003","journal-title":"J. Appl. Psychol."},{"key":"ref46","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1441465","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2024.1441465","article-title":"The association between intolerance of uncertainty and academic burnout among university students: the role of self-regulatory fatigue and self-compassion","volume":"12","author":"Qiang","year":"2024","journal-title":"Front. Public Health"},{"key":"ref47","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2637","DOI":"10.1108\/IMDS-02-2021-0082","article-title":"HTMT\u2082\u2013an improved criterion for assessing discriminant validity in structural equation modeling","volume":"121","author":"Roemer","year":"2021","journal-title":"Ind. Manag. Data Syst."},{"key":"ref48","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"458","DOI":"10.1177\/1073191116645905","article-title":"Disentangling components of flexibility via the hexaflex model: development and validation of the multidimensional psychological flexibility inventory (MPFI)","volume":"25","author":"Rolffs","year":"2018","journal-title":"Assessment"},{"key":"ref49","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.11144\/Javeriana.upsy16-4.pmrp","article-title":"The predictive and moderating role of psychological flexibility in the development of job burnout","volume":"16","author":"Ruiz","year":"2017","journal-title":"Univ. Psychol."},{"key":"ref50","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"21","DOI":"10.1016\/j.burn.2017.11.001","article-title":"Study engagement and burnout profiles among Finnish higher education students","volume":"7","author":"Salmela-Aro","year":"2017","journal-title":"Burn. Res."},{"key":"ref51","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"464","DOI":"10.1177\/0022022102033005003","article-title":"Burnout and engagement in university students","volume":"33","author":"Schaufeli","year":"2002","journal-title":"J. Cross-Cult. Psychol."},{"key":"ref52","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"5","DOI":"10.9707\/2307-0919.1056","article-title":"Adolescent future orientation: an integrated cultural and ecological perspective","volume":"6","author":"Seginer","year":"2003","journal-title":"Online Read. Psychol. Cult."},{"key":"ref53","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"121","DOI":"10.1023\/B:EDPR.0000026609.94841.2F","article-title":"Placing motivation and future time perspective theory in a temporal perspective","volume":"16","author":"Simons","year":"2004","journal-title":"Educ. Psychol. Rev."},{"key":"ref54","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"215","DOI":"10.16719\/j.cnki.1671-6981.20200130","article-title":"Statistical approaches for testing common method bias: problems and suggestions","volume":"43","author":"Tang","year":"2020","journal-title":"J. Psychol. Sci."},{"key":"ref55","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"28","DOI":"10.1016\/j.childyouth.2014.03.020","article-title":"Burnout among high school students: a literature review","volume":"42","author":"Walburg","year":"2014","journal-title":"Child Youth Serv. Rev."},{"key":"ref56","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e33740","DOI":"10.1097\/MD.0000000000033740","article-title":"Mediating effects of future time perspective on the relationship between mindfulness and learning burnout in college students: a cross-sectional descriptive study","volume":"102","author":"Yang","year":"2023","journal-title":"Medicine"},{"key":"ref57","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"110810","DOI":"10.1016\/j.paid.2021.110810","article-title":"Intolerance of uncertainty, future time perspective, and self-control","volume":"177","author":"Yang","year":"2021","journal-title":"Personal. Individ. Differ."},{"key":"ref58","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1529","DOI":"10.1016\/j.paid.2007.04.010","article-title":"Perfectionism, academic burnout and engagement among Chinese college students: a structural equation modeling analysis","volume":"43","author":"Zhang","year":"2007","journal-title":"Pers. Individ. Differ."},{"key":"ref59","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"285","DOI":"10.16128\/j.cnki.1005-3611.2017.02.020","article-title":"Reliability and validity of the intolerance of uncertainty scale-short form in university students","volume":"25","author":"Zhang","year":"2017","journal-title":"Chin. J. Clin. Psychol."},{"key":"ref60","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e16270","DOI":"10.7717\/peerj.16270","article-title":"Physical activity, problematic smartphone use, and burnout among Chinese college students","volume":"11","author":"Zhu","year":"2023","journal-title":"PeerJ"},{"key":"ref61","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1271","DOI":"10.1037\/0022-3514.77.6.1271","article-title":"Putting time in perspective: a valid, reliable individual-differences metric","volume":"77","author":"Zimbardo","year":"1999","journal-title":"J. Pers. Soc. Psychol."},{"key":"ref62","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1309210","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2024.1309210","article-title":"Psychological mechanisms of English academic stress and academic burnout: the mediating role of rumination and moderating effect of neuroticism","volume":"15","author":"Zuo","year":"2024","journal-title":"Front. Psychol."}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Psychology"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpsyg.2026.1922858\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,31]],"date-time":"2026-08-31T05:40:59Z","timestamp":1788154859000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpsyg.2026.1922858\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,31]]},"references-count":62,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fpsyg.2026.1922858"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fpsyg.2026.1922858","relation":{},"ISSN":["1664-1078"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1664-1078","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,31]]},"article-number":"1922858"}}