Alleviating Exhaustion: The Mediating Role of Well-Being in the Relationship Between Research Disengagement and Burnout Among Tunisian University Lecturers

Abstract

Background: This study examines the direct influence of research-focused work disengagement on general academic burnout and explores the underlying psychological mechanisms by testing the indirect link through teaching-specific well-being.

Methods: A questionnaire was distributed to 17 institutions (universities, faculties, institutes, and schools), following the ethical standards, located in Tunis, Jendouba, Nabeul, Sousse, Mahdia, and Sfax. A total of 950 university lecturers of Tunisian nationality completed a questionnaire. The study was conducted over a period of five months from the beginning of 2025, and at the end of this period, we collected 636 usable questionnaires, representing a response rate of approximately 66.95%. Because participation relied on convenience sampling and institutional access permission, the sample presents demographics skews including 75% female representation and an 80% non-publishing rate, introducing potential self-selection bias that limits broad population generalization. Data analysis was performed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) via AMOS 25 to evaluate the hypothesized paths and estimate indirect mediation effects via a robust bootstrapping procedure.

Results: The findings supported the initial hypotheses. Specifically, research disengagement significantly and negatively affects general academic burnout, while significantly and positively predicting teaching-specific wellbeing. Additionally, teaching-specific well-being was found to significantly and negatively influence burnout. When introduced into the path model, teaching-specific well-being exhibited a significant indirect association, indicating that it exerts a partial mediating effect on this relationship among Tunisian teacher-researchers.

Conclusions: Teaching-specific well-being is associated with a partial mediating role in linking research disengagement to general academic burnout among university lecturers. These findings offer important practical and theoretical implications for academic institutions and researchers seeking to mitigate burnout and support faculty well-being.