Factors Influencing Nursing Students’ Academic Engagement and Burnout During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Path Analysis

<b>Background/Objectives</b>: Increases in unemployment due to the COVID-19 pandemic and doctors' strike have intensified job-seeking stress among nursing students, contributing to academic pressure, increased stress levels, reduced participation, and a greater risk of burnout. This study investigates the relationships between job-seeking stress, academic self-efficacy, professor trust, academic engagement, and academic burnout through path analysis. <b>Methods</b>: A total of 496 nursing students enrolled in four-year nursing programs in South Korea participated in this study. Data were gathered using structured questionnaires from 30 August to 13 December 2021. <b>Results</b>: Job-seeking stress, academic self-efficacy, and professor trust significantly influenced academic engagement, accounting for 37.2% of its variance. Academic burnout was primarily explained by job-seeking stress and academic self-efficacy, with an explanatory power of 50.4%. Furthermore, academic self-efficacy played a mediating role in the relationships between job-seeking stress and both academic engagement and burnout. <b>Conclusions</b>: Developing interventions to enhance academic self-efficacy is crucial. Additionally, strategies should be implemented to alleviate job-seeking stress, foster academic engagement, and reduce the risk of burnout among nursing students.