Rocking the boat but keeping it steady: Lockdown, online classes, emotional intelligence and burnout among students

Background: Burnout is a stress-induced syndrome that predominantly affects adolescents. Some environmental and personal factors can contribute to the onset of burnout and its severe consequences, including attrition, sleep disorders, and depression. Objective: Our study examined the impact of the COVID lockdown on emotional intelligence, academic burnout, and academic performance. Materials and Methods: Data were collected from a sample of 471 school-going students. Participants are selected by simple random sampling by the randomization table technique. Participants completed questionnaires, including the evaluation of academic burnout (exhaustion, cynicism, and efficacy). Results: Among the study population, 59% were females, and 41% were males. The mean age was 15.5 ± 1.26 years. The mean score for Cynicism was 10.06 ± 3.8. The mean score for Academic Efficacy was 20.71 ± 4.63. The mean difference in Emotional Exhaustion Score between males and females was not statistically significant (P = 0.063). The mean difference in Cynicism Score between males and females was not statistically significant (P = 0.730). The mean difference between males and females was statistically significant in the Academic Efficacy and Total scores (P < 0.001). Conclusion: The findings suggest that emotional intelligence strongly correlates with burnout during the COVID-19 lockdown. Adaptive coping, mental health, and optimism help prevent academic burnout and consequently positively affect academic performance. Intervention and future research implications should be discussed.