Abstract
Objectives: This study aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of all intervention for learning burnout by meta-analyzing their effects.Methods: Relevant studies that had been published up to September 18, 2020, were identified through a systematic search of the PubMed, Web of Science, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Wan Fang databases. Eligible studies included randomized control trials of any learning burnout intervention conducted among students. The Jadad scale was used to evaluate the quality of the study. Random-effect meta-analyses, subgroup analyses, meta-regression analysis, and sensitivity analysis were conducted. Funnel plots and Egger's tests were used to evaluate publication bias. Duval and Tweedie's non-parametric trim-and-fill method was used to adjust the effect of publication bias.Results: Of the 5,245 articles found, 39 met the inclusion criteria for the systematic review. There were 3,400 students, including 1,847 students in the intervention group and 1,553 in the control group. A meta-analysis of 44 studies showed that the interventions were effective. Subgroup analyses were conducted according to education, scales, intervention measures, and intervention time. The results showed that, compared with the control group, the learning burnout scores of undergraduates, secondary vocational students, and middle school students were significantly lower. Based on different scales, all interventions were also effective. The funnel plot was asymmetric and consistent with the results of Egger's test. The trim-and-fill method was used, and seven missing studies were merged to obtain a symmetric funnel plot.Conclusions: This meta-analysis indicated that learning burnout interventions are effective. The subgroup analyses showed that group counseling is the most widely used, exercise intervention is probably the most effective, and 8 weeks or more is the appropriate intervention time. An integrated intervention study based on the factors of learning burnout adds value. More studies are needed to supplement the results in the future.
Highlights
Burnout was first proposed by Freudenberger (1974) and used to describe a state of exhaustion caused by excessive working hours and intensity among social workers, including medical personnel
The subgroup analysis according to the participants’ educational backgrounds showed that, compared with the control group, the learning burnout scores of undergraduates, secondary vocational students, and middle school students were significantly lower separately [undergraduate: standardized mean difference (SMD) −1.12, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): [−1.49, −0.75], p < 0.001, I2 = 83.3%; secondary vocational students: SMD −1.11, 95% CI: [−1.78, −0.44], p < 0.001, I2 = 85.4%; middle school students: SMD −1.25, 95% CI: [−1.71, −0.78], p < 0.001, I2 = 94.4%]
Compared with the control group, the exercise intervention group had significantly lower learning burnout, and the intervention effect was significantly higher than group counseling, time management training, and other intervention measures [group counseling: SMD −0.93, 95% CI: [−1.22, −0.65], p < 0.001, I2 = 79.3%; exercise intervention: SMD −2.16, 95% CI: [−3.26, −1.06], p < 0.001, I2 = 95.6%; time
Summary
Burnout was first proposed by Freudenberger (1974) and used to describe a state of exhaustion caused by excessive working hours and intensity among social workers, including medical personnel. A cross-sectional study of incoming medical students found high levels of burnout (Santos et al, 2018). They exhaust their energy and gradually lose their enthusiasm for learning, and the psychological problems start impacting their physical health. Sometimes learning burnout may cause physical diseases (including hypertension, arteriosclerosis) (May et al, 2015b), negative psychological and behavioral problems (such as depression, truancy, and dropout) (May et al, 2015a), even substance abuse and the increased possibility of suicidal thoughts among students (Dyrbye et al, 2008; Jackson et al, 2016)
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