Cross-Cultural Insights into Mindfulness, Empathy, and Academic Burnout

Abstract

Mindfulness-based interventions have demonstrated significant therapeutic benefits across various stages of life, from childhood to old age (De la Fuente Anuncibay et al., 2019). These interventions facilitate the development of empathy and self-forgiveness, as well as forgiveness towards others (Neff & Dahm, 2015). This study takes a novel approach by comparing the levels of mindfulness, academic burnout, and empathy between Pakistani and Yemeni student groups. Additionally, it examines the mediating role of empathy in the relationship between mindfulness and academic burnout. An online survey was conducted among 910 undergraduate and postgraduate students from Pakistan and Yemen, with the majority of participants aged between 18-25 years and 64% of them being male. The results indicated that Pakistani participants had higher scores in mindfulness (MAAS score: 54.65 ± 0.61) and empathy (IRI score: 68.45 ± 0.58). Empathy was found to mediate the relationship between mindfulness and academic burnout, showing a negative correlation with academic burnout and a positive correlation with mindfulness. Recent research supports these findings, highlighting the crucial role of empathy in enhancing mindfulness and reducing academic burnout (Keng et al., 2020; Shapiro et al., 2021).