Psychological Exhaustion and its Relationship to Cognitive Failure among Postgraduate Students
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Objective: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between psychological exhaustion and cognitive failure among postgraduate students at the University of Baghdad.
Methods and Materials: A descriptive research design was employed, with a sample of 200 postgraduate students (100 males and 100 females) selected using stratified random sampling. Data were collected using the Psychological Exhaustion Scale by Al-Abadsa (2021) and the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (Broadbent et al., 1982). Both tools underwent validation by a panel of experts, achieving a high agreement rate (85%). Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and regression analyses were used to analyze the data.
Findings: The mean scores for psychological exhaustion and cognitive failure were 26.75 (SD = 6.42) and 39.58 (SD = 8.37), respectively. A significant positive correlation was found between psychological exhaustion and cognitive failure (r = 0.63, p < .001). Regression analysis revealed that psychological exhaustion significantly predicted cognitive failure, accounting for 40% of the variance (R² = 0.40, F = 130.77, p < .001). Multivariate regression further demonstrated that psychological exhaustion had a substantial influence on cognitive failure (B = 1.10, β = 0.63, p < .001).
Conclusion: The findings highlight a strong relationship between psychological exhaustion and cognitive failure among postgraduate students. These results emphasize the importance of addressing emotional exhaustion to mitigate cognitive inefficiencies. Interventions focusing on stress management, resilience training, and workload adjustments are recommended to support the mental well-being and academic success of postgraduate students.
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