Entrepreneurial Burnout as a Process: A Systematic Review of Demands, Resources, Mechanisms, and Consequences

Abstract

Entrepreneurial burnout research has expanded rapidly, but cumulative knowledge remains fragmented by inconsistent conceptualizations, measures, and analytical roles assigned to demands, resources, and mechanisms. This systematic literature review clarifies the burnout–emotional exhaustion boundary, maps demand- and resource-side determinants, identifies mechanisms explicitly tested or qualitatively traced, and assesses which downstream consequences receive direct empirical support. Following PRISMA 2020 and SPAR-4-SLR guidance, 72 peer-reviewed empirical studies published between 2016 and 4 August 2026 were identified in Scopus and Web of Science and synthesized through hybrid deductive–inductive content analysis and theory-oriented narrative synthesis. The synthesis shows that emotional exhaustion dominates quantitative operationalization, resources perform different functions rather than acting uniformly, and evidence becomes thinner from determinants to mechanisms and downstream effects. Career continuation or withdrawal and venture outcomes have the strongest direct support. By separating demands, resources, proximal mechanisms, burnout, and consequences, the review develops an integrative process architecture without imposing a causal sequence. This architecture provides a basis for more precise measurement, stronger temporal designs, and interventions combining demand reduction, work redesign, and recovery.