Abstract

The aim of this study was to develop the Psychological Monitor’s Burnout Scale in College (PMBSC) and test its validity and reliability. Based on literature analysis, open-ended questionnaire surveys and interviews, the construct of PMBSC was defined and the preliminary scale was compiled in this study. In total, 530 psychological monitors were selected for item analysis and exploratory factor analysis; another 859 were selected for confirmatory factor analysis, split-half reliability and internal consistency reliability tests, of which 172 were retested after 5 weeks. The Competency Questionnaire for Psychological Monitors in College (CQPMC) and Chinese Perceived Stress Scale (CPSS) were used to test the criterion validity. The PMBSC contained 20 items and was composed of three factors that accounted for 64.71% of the variance. The confirmatory factor analysis showed that the three-factor structure model fitted well (χ2/df = 5.53, RMSEA = 0.073, CFI = 0.938, NFI = 0.926, RFI = 0.916, IFI = 0.938, TLI = 0.930, GFI = 0.899). The criterion validity test showed that the total scores and factor scores of PMBSC were negatively correlated with the total scores of CQPMC (r = −0.54–−0.65, p < 0.01), while they were positively correlated with the total scores of CPSS (r = 0.39–0.48, p < 0.01). The Cronbach’s α coefficients of the total scale and its three factors ranged from 0.88 to 0.95, the split-half reliability ranged from 0.88 to 0.94, and the test–retest reliability ranged from 0.72 to 0.85. The Psychological Monitor’s Burnout Scale in College has good validity and reliability. The PMBSC provides targeted measurement tools for college psychological monitors and verifies the adaptability of Maslach’s three-dimensional burnout model among student peer helpers theoretically. Practically, the scale supports regular burnout screening and precise mental health intervention for psychological monitor teams in universities.

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