Abstract

This research aimed to determine the incidence and severity of emotional exhaustion in Chilean higher education students in the context of a pandemic by gender. An emerging secondary objective was to determine the symptomatologic indicators corresponding to Ramos et al. Emotional Exhaustion Scale (ECE). The design was mixed, with a descriptive approach with a sample of 1,308 students (1,034 women and 274 men) who answered questionnaires on sociodemographic variables and stressors and the ECE. The incidence of severe emotional exhaustion in Chilean higher education students in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic was higher in women than in men (90.5% vs. 77.4%). This, the symptomatologic indicators corresponding to the ECE are cognitive, emotional, and social-interactive. As a conclusion, emotional exhaustion severely affects university students in a pandemic context, and women are more affected than men.