2005/07/01 by Tage S. Kristensen, Marianne Borritz, Ebbe Villadsen +2 · 3,105 citations
Health Professions · Psychology · #Applied psychology #Burnout #Clinical psychology #Emotional exhaustion #Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout #Job satisfaction #Occupational burnout #Occupational stress #Psychology #Psychometrics #Reliability (semiconductor) #Scale (ratio) #Social psychology #Stress and Burnout Research #Validity #Workplace Health and Well-being
paper · doi:10.1080/02678370500297720
published in Work & Stress 19(3), 192-207 (Taylor & Francis)
openalex publication_date 2005/07/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
So far, the large majority of studies on burnout in the international literature have employed the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). In this paper we criticize the MBI on a number of points and present a new tool for the measurement of burnout: the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI). The CBI consists of three scales measuring personal burnout, work-related burnout, and client-related burnout, for use in different domains. On the basis of an ongoing prospective study of burnout in employees in the human service sector, the PUMA study (Project on Burnout, Motivation and Job Satisfaction; N=1914 at baseline), we analysed the validity and reliability of the CBI. All three scales were found to have very high internal reliability, and non-response rates were small. The scales differentiated well between occupational groups in the human service sector, and the expected pattern with regard to correlations with other measures of fatigue and psychological well-being was found. Furthermore, the three scales predicted future sickness absence, sleep problems, use of pain-killers, and intention to quit. Analyses of changes over time showed that substantial proportions of the employees changed with regard to burnout levels. It is concluded that the analyses indicate very satisfactory reliability and validity for the CBI instrument. The CBI is being used in a number of countries and translations into eight languages are available.