Heterogeneous academic burnout patterns in school-aged students: Teacher autonomy support and the dual pathways of environmental-cognitive mediation

Drawing on self-determination and social cognitive theories, the analysis examined how teacher autonomy support relates to academic burnout among 7124 Chinese primary and secondary students. Structural equation modeling indicated that perceptions of school climate and social-emotional competence jointly accounted for 95.12% of the total association, underscoring the pivotal role of contextual and cognitive mediators. Latent profile analysis identified four differentiated profiles of burnout, namely Adaptively-Engaged, Emotionally-Coping, Performance-Strained, and Exhausted-Disengaged, reflecting a generally ascending continuum of burnout severity with distinct psychological configurations. Multinomial logistic regression further revealed that responsible decision-making and relationship skills functioned as protective factors, whereas heightened social awareness increased the likelihood of membership in more burnout-prone profiles. The findings emphasize the importance of integrating supportive school environments with targeted social-emotional skill development to mitigate academic burnout.