University students’ profiles of burnout symptoms amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany and their relation to concurrent study behavior and experiences

Turhan, D.; Schnettler, T.; Scheunemann, A.; Gadosey, C. K.; Kegel, L. S.; Bäulke, L.; Thies, D. O.; Thomas, L.; Buhlmann, U.; Dresel, M.; Fries, S.; Leutner, D.; Wirth, J.; Grunschel, C.

Zusammenfassung

Burnout symptoms are prevalent among university students. This study examined students’ understudied profiles of burnout symptoms and their relation to procrastination, dropout intentions, and study- and life satisfaction. We used cross-sectional data from two online-studies conducted in Germany in April 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic (Nstudy1 = 597, Nstudy2 = 857). Latent profile analyses indicated three profiles in both studies: (1) well-functioning, (2) moderately exhausted-inefficacious, and (3) burned-out. Most students belonged to Profiles 1 and 2 with low to moderate burnout symptoms. Students in Profile 3 reported the highest symptoms, most procrastination, strongest dropout intentions, and lowest study- and life satisfaction. The distinct profiles broaden knowledge about intra-individual differences in students’ burnout experiences and underpin the need for tailored interventions.