Systematic review of student burnout instruments: no measures currently meet COSMIN standards for recommendation

Burnout is increasingly recognized as affecting students as well as workers, prompting the development of numerous self-report measures to assess burnout across diverse student populations. Despite the growing recognition of student burnout as a significant mental health concern, the methodological quality of instruments designed to measure this construct in student populations has not been rigorously and systematically evaluated using contemporary psychometric standards. This systematic review sought to identify and evaluate existing self-report measures used to measure student burnout, appraising their measurement properties and current limitations. Adhering to PRISMA and COSMIN guidelines, we examined studies that developed or validated self-report measures of student burnout. Forty-four studies met the inclusion criteria, yielding 33 distinct instruments. Quality appraisal indicated that ten self-report measures warranted a ‘Conclude with recommendation against its use.’ Strikingly, no instrument met the COSMIN criteria for a recommendation for use. These findings underscore the urgent need for de novo instrument development or substantial revision of existing measures, beginning with rigorous content validity studies as mandated by COSMIN guidelines, given the absence of currently recommended tools. Such work is essential to enable evidence-based interventions that effectively address the mental health impacts of burnout among diverse student populations.