The association between problematic internet use and burnout: A three-level meta-analysis

Abstract

Background: Burnout has received considerable attention in recent years because of the adverse consequences for people. Theoretical perspectives propose that problematic internet use is a significant potential risk for burnout. Despite a plethora of studies showing a positive association between problematic internet use and burnout, there remains a contentious debate regarding the extent and direction of this association.

Methods: This study aims to perform a three-level meta-analysis to evaluate the strength of the relationship between problematic internet use and burnout through a quantitative synthesis of eligible studies published until April 2023.

Results: A total of 42 studies with 54,121 participants and 103 effect sizes were identified. The results indicated a positive, moderate, and significant association between problematic internet use and burnout. Furthermore, the subgroup analysis found that this association was moderated by population, dimension of burnout, and the measure of burnout, however, some study features (i.e., region, type of problematic internet use, gender, and publication year) could not explain the heterogeneity across individual studies.

Limitations: Studies included in the current meta-analysis mainly used cross-sectional designs, which limited the potential to make inferences on the causal relationship between problematic internet use and burnout.

Conclusions: Individuals with problematic internet use have exhibited higher levels of burnout. Overall, these findings develop a deeper understanding of this association between problematic internet use and burnout and have implications for the direction of future research and interventions.

Keywords: Burnout; Meta-analysis; Problematic internet use.