School provides an important developmental context for adolescents (Eccles, 2004). Previous research has shown that adolescents’ perceptions and experiences of school are associated with various adjustment outcomes. Dislike of school is related to internal and external problem behaviors, and to a reduced quality of life (Kasen, Johnson, & Cohen,1990).

Although many concepts, such as low academic achievement and motivation, poor self-esteem, school stress and tiredness, and internal and external problem behaviour (Byrne, Davenport, & Mazanov, 2007; Rudolph, Lambert, Clark, & Kurlakowsky, 2001; Wentzel, Barry, & Caldwell, 2004) have been used to describe maladjustment at school, only few studies have been carried out, in particular on school-related burnout and stress.

Salmela-Aro, Kiuru, Pietikäinen, & Jokela, (2008) recently described school-burnout as a new concept. Following the original theory of work burnout (Schaufeli, Martinez, Pinto, Salanova & Bakker., 2002), school-related exhaustion can be defined as school-related feelings of strain, particularly chronic fatigue resulting from overtaxing schoolwork. School-related cynicism, in turn, is manifested in an indifferent or a distal attitude toward schoolwork in general. Lack of school-related efficacy refers to diminished feelings of competence as well as less successful achievement, and to lack of accomplishment both in one’s schoolwork and in school as a whole (Schaufeli et al., 2002).

This study provides a first contribution to the Italian validation of School Burnout Inventory (SBI Salmela-Aro et al., 2009) and the main aims were: a) to analyse the factorial solution of the SBI on an Italian students sample; b) to evaluate the concurrent validity of the SBI by analysing its correlations with school engagement (Schaufeli, Bakker & Salanova, 2006) and depression (Kovacs, 1982); c) to analyse gender differences on SBI scores. 

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