Health Psychology Research / HPR / Online First / DOI: 10.14440/hpr.0108
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RESEARCH ARTICLE

Development and Validation of the English Version of the School Burnout Inventory for University Students

Silvia Platania1 ,  Kenneth B. Abrams2 ,  Santo Di Nuovo1 ,  Maria C. Quattropani1 ,  Fiammetta Cosci3 ,  Claudio Maggio1 ,  Alice Caruso1 ,  Abdulnaser Fakhrou4 ,  Jennifer DiPiazza5 ,  Mahmoud Ali Moussa6 ,  Pasquale Caponnetto1,7,8*
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1 Department of Educational Sciences, Psychology Unit, University of Catania, Catania, Sicily 95121, Italy
2 Department of Psychology, Carleton College, Northfield, Minnesota 55057, United States of America
3 Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence, Florence, Tuscany 50134, Italy
4 Department of Psychological Sciences, College of Education University, Doha 2713, Qatar
5 Fairfield University Egan School of Nursing 1073 North Benson Road, Connecticut 06824, United States of America
6 Department of Educational Psychology, Faculty of Education, Suez Canal University, Ismailia 41528, Egypt
7 Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction, University of Catania, Catania, Sicily 95123, Italy
8 Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Psychiatry Unit, University of Catania, Catania, Sicily 95123, Italy
HPR, e81240035 https://doi.org/10.14440/hpr.0108
Submitted: 24 April 2025 | Revised: 30 July 2025 | Accepted: 31 July 2025 | Published: 6 October 2025
© 2025 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution -Noncommercial 4.0 International License (CC-by the license) ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ )
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Abstract

Background

Academic burnout arises in response to prolonged stress related to university study demands. It is characterized by three main dimensions: Emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced personal effectiveness. Chronic academic stress can lead to mental health issues, such as anxiety, depression, and insomnia. Early detection of burnout allows for intervention before more severe symptoms develop.

Objective

This study aimed to develop and assess the psychometric properties of the English version of the School Burnout Inventory (SBI) for University Students while providing further psychometric evidence for the pre-existing Italian version of the scale (SBI-U/I).

Methods

The study included 194 university students from the United States. The scale’s factorial structure was examined, and the results were compared with the previously published Italian version. Cross-cultural validity was tested through an invariance analysis across gender and both scale versions. Convergent validity was assessed through bivariate correlation analysis.

Results

The findings confirmed that the three-factor structure was consistent with prior data. Confirmatory factor analysis of the American sample showed good model fit (χ2 [24] = 51.991, comparative fit index [CFI] = 0.98, Tucker-Lewis index = 0.95, root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = 0.078). Reliability coefficients were acceptable (α = 0.77–0.88). Measurement invariance was supported across gender and country (ΔCFI ≤ 0.011, easurem≤ 0.002), confirming cross-cultural validity. Convergent validity was evidenced by significant correlations with perceived stress (r = 0.19–0.32, p<0.01). The scale’s validity was further supported by invariance analyses across gender and cultural contexts.

Conclusion

The study confirmed that both versions of the SBI-U scales are valid for assessing academic burnout and can be used for cross-cultural comparisons. This underscores the importance of early burnout detection in university students, facilitating targeted interventions to enhance their well-being.

Keywords
Academic burnout
Validation
Clinical psychometric properties
Cross-cultural validity
Stress
Funding
None.
Conflict of interest
As the Editor-in-Chief of this journal, Pasquale Caponnetto was not involved in the editorial and peer-review process conducted for this paper. Separately, other authors declared that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have influenced the work reported in this paper.
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Health Psychology Research, Electronic ISSN: 2420-8124 Published by Health Psychology Research
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