Longitudinal associations of effort-reward imbalance and overcommitment with burnout symptoms among Italian university students

Background: 

Burnout symptoms are highly prevalent among university students. The effort-reward imbalance (ERI) model is predictive for workers’ mental health. This study aims to investigate the associations of ERI and overcommitment with burnout symptoms among students. 

Methods: 

An Italian version of the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory-Student (OLBI-S) and the Effort-Reward Imbalance-Student Questionnaire (ERI-SQ) were administered to assess burnout symptoms (range: 16–64), effort (range: 2–8), reward (range: 5–20) and overcommitment (range: 5–20) among 545 students twice with six months of follow-up. ERI (range: 0.25–4) was estimated multiplying the effort/reward ratio by a correction factor to account the difference in items investigating effort and reward. A between-within linear regression model was used to investigate whether ERI and overcommitment were associated with burnout symptoms (between individuals) and whether individual changes in ERI and overcommitment during the follow-up were associated with changes in burnout symptoms (within individuals). 

Results: 

Higher levels of ERI (β: 10.13, 95 % CI: 9.21–11.05) and overcommitment (β: 1.09, 95 % CI: 0.95–1.23) were associated with higher levels of burnout symptoms. An increase in ERI (β: 4.93, 95 % CI: 3.02–6.84) and overcommitment (β: 0.92, 95 % CI: 0.59–1.26) within individuals was associated with an increase in burnout symptoms. 

Discussion: 

This study supports the validity of the ERI model in the university setting. ERI and overcommitment may be determinants of burnout symptoms among university students. Interventions at individual and environmental level may aim to decrease ERI and overcommitment to tackle the burden of burnout among students. Future research may investigate the drivers of students’ ERI and overcommitment among students.