Psychometric analysis of the Escala de Cansancio Emocional in Ecuadorian college students during the COVID-19 outbreak

Academic emotional exhaustion is the first stage of academic burnout syndrome, and it is necessary to evaluate it and intervene early since the consequences are significant for people. The objective of this research is to perform a psychometric analysis of the Emotional Exhaustion Scale (Escala de Cansancio Emocional, ECE) to evaluate its internal structure, measurement invariance, and internal consistency reliability, in a sample of Ecuadorian college students in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Four hundred and fifty-three college students from Ecuador participated (76.21 % women) between the ages of 17 and 35 (M = 22.76 years). Results show that the one-dimensional structure has statistical support, is invariant concerning sex, and shows adequate internal consistency reliability. It is concluded that the ECE has adequate psychometric properties that allow its use in Ecuadorian college students.