A five‐sample confirmatory factor analytic study of burnout‐depression overlap

Objective It has been asserted that burnout—a condition ascribed to unresolvable job stress—should not be mistaken for a depressive syndrome. In this confirmatory factor analytic study, the validity of this assertion was examined. Methods Five samples of employed individuals, recruited in Switzerlan...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of clinical psychology 2020-04, Vol.76 (4), p.801-821
Main Authors: Bianchi, Renzo, Schonfeld, Irvin Sam, Verkuilen, Jay
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Burnout
Burnout, Professional - diagnosis
Burnout, Professional - physiopathology
confirmatory factor analysis
construct overlap
depression
Depression - diagnosis
Depression - physiopathology
Discriminant analysis
dysphoria
Factor Analysis, Statistical
Female
Humans
Male
Mental depression
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Summary:Objective It has been asserted that burnout—a condition ascribed to unresolvable job stress—should not be mistaken for a depressive syndrome. In this confirmatory factor analytic study, the validity of this assertion was examined. Methods Five samples of employed individuals, recruited in Switzerland and France, were mobilized for this study (N = 3,113). Burnout symptoms were assessed with the Shirom–Melamed Burnout Measure, the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI)—General Survey, and the MBI for Educators. Depressive symptoms were measured with the PHQ‐9. Results In all five samples, the latent factors pertaining to burnout's components correlated on average more highly with the latent Depression factor than with each other, even with fatigue‐related items removed from the PHQ‐9. Second‐order factor analyses indicated that the latent Depression factor and the latent factors pertaining to burnout's components were reflective of the same overarching factor. Conclusions This study suggests that the burnout‐depression distinction is artificial.
ISSN:0021-9762
1097-4679
DOI:10.1002/jclp.22927