Objective:

To investigate the association between resting-state EEG microstate dynamics and academic burnout in Chinese undergraduates, beyond the influence of trait anxiety, depressive symptoms, and general self-efficacy.

Approach:

• Participants: 330 Chinese undergraduates (94 men, 236 women; mean age = 18.31 years, SD = 0.84) completed self-report measures and an eyes-closed resting-state EEG recording.
• Analysis: Covariate-adjusted partial correlations and hierarchical regression were used to examine burnout-microstate associations and the incremental value of selected microstate markers.

Key Findings:

• Higher academic burnout was associated with higher trait anxiety (r = 0.539, p < 0.001), higher depressive symptoms (r = 0.526, p < 0.001), and lower general self-efficacy (r = -0.474, p < 0.001).
• After adjustments, greater burnout correlated with shorter microstate D duration (partial r = -0.196, q = 0.0049), higher microstate C occurrence (partial r = 0.172, q = 0.0081), shorter mean microstate duration, and higher mean occurrence.
• The psychological block explained substantial variance in burnout (R² = 0.417), with microstate markers providing a small but significant improvement in model fit (ΔR² = 0.025, p = 0.001).

Interpretation:

Academic burnout in undergraduates is linked to internalizing distress and lower perceived coping capacity, with resting-state EEG microstate dynamics providing modest additional insights.

Limitations:

• The study does not establish a diagnostic EEG marker or a burnout-specific neural mechanism.
• Findings are based on a specific population (Chinese undergraduates) and may not generalize to other groups.

Conclusion:

The study highlights the role of EEG microstate dynamics in understanding academic burnout.