The Impact of Family Conflict on Academic Disengagement Mediated by Emotional Exhaustion in Adolescents
Keywords:
Family conflict, Emotional exhaustion, Academic disengagement, AdolescentsAbstract
Objective: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between family conflict and academic disengagement among adolescents, with emotional exhaustion examined as a potential mediating variable.
Methods and Materials: A descriptive–correlational research design was employed, with a sample of 388 secondary school students from Armenia selected based on Krejcie and Morgan’s sample size table using stratified random sampling. Standardized instruments were administered, including the Family Conflict subscale of the Family Environment Scale, the Emotional Exhaustion subscale of the Maslach Burnout Inventory–Student Survey, and the Academic Disengagement subscale of the Student Engagement Instrument. Data analysis was performed using SPSS-27 for descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation, and AMOS-21 for Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to test the hypothesized mediation model. Model fit was evaluated using χ²/df, GFI, AGFI, CFI, RMSEA, and TLI indices, with significance set at p < .05.
Findings: Pearson correlation results indicated that family conflict was positively correlated with both emotional exhaustion (r = .54, p < .001) and academic disengagement (r = .46, p < .001), while emotional exhaustion had the strongest correlation with academic disengagement (r = .62, p < .001). The SEM analysis demonstrated good model fit (χ²/df = 2.19, GFI = 0.95, AGFI = 0.93, CFI = 0.97, RMSEA = 0.056, TLI = 0.96). Family conflict significantly predicted emotional exhaustion (β = 0.54, p < .001) and academic disengagement both directly (β = 0.27, p < .001) and indirectly via emotional exhaustion (β = 0.28, p < .001). The total effect of family conflict on academic disengagement was β = 0.55 (p < .001), confirming partial mediation.
Conclusion: The findings suggest that emotional exhaustion serves as a significant psychological mechanism linking family conflict to academic disengagement among adolescents.
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