Validation of the Chinese School Burnout Inventory among Hong Kong Chinese undergraduates

The School Burnout Inventory (SBI) assesses three facets of school burnout, including exhaustion, cynicism, and inadequacy in school settings. Although the SBI has been validated in various cultures, it has not been validated among Chinese students. This study intends to test the psychometric soundness of the Chinese SBI (CSBI). Five hundred twenty-one Chinese undergraduates (61.0% female) from Hong Kong with an average age of 20.65 years (SD = 1.56) took part in the study. Research data were obtained with an online questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) favored the bi-factor model with nine items loading on three group factors and one general factor simultaneously over other rival models. The results of multiple-group CFAs affirmed strict invariance (equivalent factor structure, loadings, intercepts, and measurement errors) of the bi-factor structure across genders. The overall school burnout scale and the three subscales exhibited acceptable internal consistency reliability and satisfactory concurrent validity with psychological distress. Our findings support that the CSBI is a psychometrically sound instrument of school burnout for Chinese students.