Depressive/anxiety/stress symptoms, Medical students with overweight/Obesity status, Academic burnout, Internet addiction, Mediation analysis, Medicine, Science

Abstract This study aimed to explore the mediating effects of academic burnout and internet addiction on the associations between BMI (normal weight and overweight/obesity) and depressive, anxiety, and stress symptoms among medical students. This study included 610 medical students aged 18–24 years in 2023. Regression analysis was used to explore the mediating effects of academic burnout and internet addiction on the associations between BMI and depressive/anxiety/stress symptoms. The bootstrap method was used to examine the statistical significance of the mediating effects. According to the mediation model incorporated academic burnout and internet addiction as mediators of overweight/obese status and depressive/anxiety/stress symptoms, the direct effects of overweight/obesity on symptoms of depression (b = 0.452, p