Psychometric Properties of the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory in an Academic Healthcare Institution Sample in the US

The Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) has demonstrated good psychometric properties among respondents in many different countries, but minimal research exists using the CBI in a U.S.-based sample. The current study represents a secondary analysis of existing CBI data from 1,679 academic health center employees at one mid-size teaching hospital in the southeastern region of the U.S. Analyses assessed CBI scale reliability, confirmatory factorial validity, discriminant validity against a measure of meaningful work, and test invariance for professional role sub-groups (physicians, nurses/physician assistants, and other hospital staff), gender groups, and different age groups. Results provided evidence for good reliability and discriminant validity as well as construct validity supporting the CBI proposed three-factor structure. Configural and metric variance equivalence were demonstrated across the range of employee types, and across age and gender groups. Scalar invariance equivalence was not established, suggesting further research may be needed to support group mean comparisons using the CBI.

Automated summary

The study conducted a secondary analysis of the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) data from 1,679 academic health center employees in a mid-size teaching hospital in the southeastern U.S. The results showed good reliability, discriminant validity, and construct validity of the CBI, supporting its proposed three-factor structure.