School burnout among students with and without disabilities before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

<p>Background: Students’ mental health problems increased during the COVID-19 pandemic and persisted afterward. Evidence regarding school burnout—particularly among disabled students—is limited. <br></p><p>Objective: We assessed school burnout and its changes among students with specific (only cognitive, only sensory, only mobility, or several) and any (at least one of the three domains) disabilities compared to those without disabilities before (2019), during (2021), and post-pandemic (2023). <br></p><p>Methods: We analyzed population-level cross-sectional data from the Finnish School Health Promotion study, including 467,186 lower secondary, upper secondary, and vocational students (mean age = 16.2; SD = 1.22) from 2019, 2021, and 2023 using logistic regression. <br></p><p>Results: At all school levels, students with any disabilities reported school burnout more often than those without disabilities. Those with several disabilities were the most vulnerable, particularly girls. At vocational level, burnout prevalence was about half that of other levels among girls and boys with and without any disabilities. In lower secondary school, burnout increased among girls with and without any disabilities from 2019 to 2021 and remained high post-pandemic. For lower secondary boys, burnout increased only among those without disabilities from 2019 to 2021 and persisted post-pandemic. For boys with any disabilities, burnout began to increase post-pandemic. In upper secondary and vocational schools, burnout increased among girls and boys with and without any disabilities from 2019 to 2021. Post-pandemic, these increases declined. <br></p><p>Conclusions: Schools require resources addressing school burnout inequalities, especially during crises and among disabled girls. Post-pandemic, addressing persistent school burnout among lower secondary students with disabilities is crucial.<br></p>