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Bergen Burnout Inventory: reliability and validity among Finnish and Estonian managers

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Abstract

Objectives

This study introduces a short measure for burnout (the Bergen Burnout Inventory, BBI) and examines its validity and reliability among managers in Finland and Estonia by means of confirmatory factor analysis. Burnout comprises three dimensions: (1) exhaustion at work (emotional component), (2) cynicism toward the meaning of work (cognitive component), and (3) the sense of inadequacy at work (behavioral component).

Methods

A total of 742 young Finnish managers and 414 Estonian managers responded to burnout (BBI) and effort–reward imbalance (ERI) scales.

Results

The results showed that the three-factor solution for burnout, compared to the one- or two-factor solutions, fitted the data best and gave the best reliability indices. The three theoretically derived dimensions of burnout were closely related but separate constructs. The BBI also had high item scale reliabilities among the managers in both countries. Finally, the effort–reward imbalance (ERI) model and the three dimensions of burnout had similar associations among Finnish and Estonian managers providing evidence for the concurrent validity of the BBI. That is, high effort was related to high exhaustion and high cynicism. High reward was related to low exhaustion, but especially to low cynicism and low inadequacy. High overcommitment was related particularly to high exhaustion, but also to high cynicism and high inadequacy.

Conclusions

The BBI can be used for the measurement of burnout in both research and occupational health contexts.

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Acknowledgments

The study has been supported by The Finnish Work Environment Fund (grant no. 101135 105363) and Estonian Business School.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

    Katariina Salmela-Aro

  2. University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland

    Johanna Rantanen, Katriina Hyvönen & Taru Feldt

  3. Estonian Business School, Tallinn, Estonia

    Kati Tilleman

Authors
  1. Katariina Salmela-Aro
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  2. Johanna Rantanen
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  3. Katriina Hyvönen
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  4. Kati Tilleman
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  5. Taru Feldt
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Katariina Salmela-Aro.

Appendix

Appendix

See Table 5.

Table 5 The final version of the Bergen Burnout Inventory (BBI)
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Salmela-Aro, K., Rantanen, J., Hyvönen, K. et al. Bergen Burnout Inventory: reliability and validity among Finnish and Estonian managers. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 84, 635–645 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-010-0594-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-010-0594-3

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