Supporting the supporters: How peer mentoring engagement reduces citizenship fatigue for sophomores in universities

Abstract

Although peer mentoring has been widely adopted in universities, in which sophomores serve as mentors to help freshmen quickly adapt to university life, less attention has been given to the effect of these programmes on mentors. To address this gap in the literature, the impact of mentors' engagement in peer mentoring on citizenship fatigue in Chinese universities was investigated and framed within the conservation of resources theory. We collected data from 401 peer mentors across two survey waves and explored how and when engagement in peer mentoring affects mentors' citizenship fatigue. The results showed that higher engagement in peer mentoring significantly enhanced mentors' perceived meaningfulness, which in turn reduced citizenship fatigue. Additionally, mentor self-disclosure strengthened the positive relationship between engagement in peer mentoring and perceived meaningfulness. These findings highlight the importance of psychological resources in reducing mentors' citizenship fatigue and suggest that universities should support mentors by providing mental health resources and encouraging open communication to enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of peer mentoring programmes.