PREVALENCE OF EMOTIONAL EXHAUSTION IN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS ON THE COAST OF PIAUÍ: WHAT IS THE ROLE OF SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES?

Abstract

The present study aimed to verify the prevalence of emotional exhaustion and the influence of sociodemographic variables in university students in the interior of Piauí. A sample of 208 university students from a public higher education institution (HEI) in the city of Parnaíba, Piauí (Mage = 21.67; SD = 4.22, with ages ranging from 18 to 56 years) was used. The majority were women (58%), who were studying Psychology (39%) and Physiotherapy (25.9%), whose family income ranged from 1,000 to 15,000 reais (Mincome = 2,796.73; SD = 2,764.85). The Emotional Exhaustion Scale and sociodemographic questions were applied. The results suggested that the severity levels of emotional exhaustion were, respectively, high (46.3%), very high (27.8%), medium (21.5%), and low (4.4%) among students. When gender was considered, it was evident that women had higher levels than men, with high (47.1%) and very high (33.6%) levels standing out. It was also evident that higher rates of student emotional exhaustion were explained by a lower perception of academic self-efficacy and worsening sleep quality. These results reinforce previous findings in the literature, highlighting the need for policies focused primarily on women. In this context, the perception of student self-efficacy should be reinforced, aiming at improvements in mental health and a reduction in emotional exhaustion.

Author Biographies

Paulo Gregório Nascimento da Silva, UFSJ

Professor do Centro Universitário Inta - UNINTA, Sobral-CE. Doutor em Psicologia Social pela Universidade Federal do Delta do Parnaíba - UFPB, João Pessoa-PB, Brasil.

Ana Maria Gomes Barbosa, UESPI

Graduada em Pedagogia pela Universidade Estadual do Piauí - UESPI, Piripiri-PI, Brasil.

Otavio Augusto Cerqueira Araujo, UFDPar

Graduando em Psicologia pela Universidade Federal do Delta do Parnaíba - UFDPar, Parnaíba-PI, Brasil.

Flávia Vitória Oliveira Almeida , UFDPar

Graduanda em Psicologia pela Universidade Federal do Delta do Parnaíba - UFDPar, Parnaíba-PI, Brasil.

Bianca Alencar Teles, FAEDI

Graduanda em Psicologia pela Faculdade de Educação e Cultura da Serra da Ibiapaba, Tianguá-CE, Brasil.

Gustavo Oliveira de Araujo, FAEDI

Professor da Faculdade de Educação e Cultura da Serra da Ibiapaba, Tianguá-CE, Brasil.

Maria Juliana Reis Barros, UFDPar

Graduanda em Psicologia pela Universidade Federal do Delta do Parnaíba - UFDPar, Parnaíba-PI, Brasil.

Ana Carolina Martins Monteiro Silva, UFDPar

Mestra em Psicologia pela Universidade Federal do Delta do Parnaíba - UFDPar, Parnaíba-PI, Brasil.

Lays Brunnyeli Santos de Oliveira, UFPB

Mestre e Doutora em Psicologia Social pela Universidade Federal da Paraíba - UFPB, João Pessoa-PB, Brasil.

Lívia Maria Gonçalves Leal Dantas, UFDPar

Mestranda em Psicologia pela Universidade Federal do Delta do Parnaíba - UFDPar, Parnaíba-PI, Brasil.

Bruna Brito Santos, UFMA

Doutora em Ensino pela Universidade Federal do Ceará - UFC, Fortaleza-CE, Brasil. Professora do Curso de Licenciatura em Ciências Biológicas UFMA - CCCH, Chapadinha-MA, Brasil.

Emerson Diógenes de Medeiros, UFDPar

Professor associado nível III do curso de graduação e mestrado em Psicologia na Universidade Federal do Delta do Parnaíba - UFDPar, Parnaíba-PI, Brasil.

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How to Cite

Nascimento da Silva, P. G., Gomes Barbosa, A. M., Cerqueira Araujo, O. A., Oliveira Almeida , F. V., Alencar Teles, B., Oliveira de Araujo, G., Reis Barros, M. J., Martins Monteiro Silva, A. C., Santos de Oliveira, L. B., Gonçalves Leal Dantas, L. M., Brito Santos, B., & de Medeiros, E. D. (2026). PREVALENCE OF EMOTIONAL EXHAUSTION IN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS ON THE COAST OF PIAUÍ: WHAT IS THE ROLE OF SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES?. RECIMA21 - Revista Científica Multidisciplinar - ISSN 2675-6218, 7(3), e737269. https://doi.org/10.47820/recima21.v7i3.7269