Assessing the Prevalence of School Burnout in German High Schools: Psychometric Properties, Gender Differences, and Cut-Off Criteria

Abstract

School-related stress and burnout can have serious consequences for students’ well-being and academic outcomes. However, there are few studies that assess the prevalence of school burnout, especially in Germany. The present study aims to determine the percentage of N = 1117 high school students who are likely to suffer from school burnout—also with regard to differences in gender and grade level. For this purpose, two different cut-off criteria are compared. Prior to this, the psychometric quality of the MBI-SuS adapted to the school context is examined. The validity and reliability of the three-factor MBI-SuS could be confirmed. Scalar measurement invariance was found for grade level but only partially for gender. The overall prevalence of school burnout of 20.9% found with the common cut-off criterion fits international prevalences, whereas the prevalence of 4.6% (determined with our recommended content-related cut-off criterion) is in line with observations from clinical practice. Depending on the cut-off value, girls suffer slightly more from school burnout, but no differences were found with respect to grade level. Results indicate that a substantial proportion of students are at risk for school burnout, highlighting the importance of prevention and intervention. Criteria for cut-off values should be applied with caution.