Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT): Validity Evidence from Brazil and Portugal

Abstract

The Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT) has been gaining increased attention as a sound and innovative instrument in its conceptualization of burnout. BAT has been adapted for several countries, revealing promising validity evidence. This paper aims to present the psychometric properties of the Brazilian and Portuguese versions of the BAT in both the 23-item and 12-item versions. BAT’s validity evidence based on the internal structure (dimensionality, reliability, and measurement invariance) and validity evidence based on the relations to other variables are the focus of research. A cross-sectional study was conducted with two non-probabilistic convenience samples from two countries (N = 3103) one from Brazil (nBrazil = 2217) and one from Portugal (nPortugal= 886). BAT’s original structure was confirmed, and it achieved measurement invariance across countries. Using both classic test theory and item response theory as frameworks, the BAT presented good validity evidence based on the internal structure. Furthermore, the BAT showed good convergent evidence (i.e., work engagement, co-worker support, role clarity, work overload, and negative change). In conclusion, the psychometric properties of the BAT make this freely available instrument a promising way to measure and compare burnout levels of Portuguese and Brazilian workers.

Students’ Burnout at University: The Role of Gender and Worker Status

“…The BAT-C short version worked similarly among male and female students and working and non-working student groups, according to Zumbo and Koh’s [ 79 ] invariance test indices. Furthermore, the results concerning the measurement invariance across gender align with those recently reported by Sinval et al [ 80 ] in their validation study of the BAT-C short version in a sample of Portuguese and Brazilian workers. Nonetheless, the current study is the first one to test the measurement invariance of the BAT-C short version across gender in a sample of university students.…”

How to assess severe burnout? Cutoff points for the Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT) based on three European samples

“…This questionnaire conceives burnout as a syndrome, meaning that its four components (exhaustion, mental distance, and cognitive and emotional impairment) are interrelated and refer to a common underlying condition (15). This implies that in addition to subscale scores also a composite, overall burnout score can be used (8,(16)(17)(18)(19). We analyzed samples from three different European countries: The Netherlands, Belgium (Flanders) and Finland.…”

“…In contrast to the MBI, the BAT fulfills the measurement criteria according to the Rasch model and can therefore be considered a one-dimensional measure of burnout (15)(16)(17). This means that burnout, as assessed with the BAT, can be considered as syndrome; a set of four associated symptoms that occur together and refer to the same underlying condition.…”

Italian Validation of the 12-Item Version of the Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT-12)

“…The original version of BAT included 33 items measuring the core components (23 items) and the secondary symptoms (10 items). BAT has been translated and validated across several countries [ 14 , 15 ] and beyond [ 16 , 17 , 18 ]. Consiglio, Mazzetti, and Schaufeli empirically supported the reliability and factor validity of the Italian version of BAT and the convergent and discriminant validity compared to MBI [ 19 ].…”

“…Earlier research using the JD-R model has shown that BAT scores are positively associated with job demands across several countries (i.e., Japan, the Netherlands, and Belgium) [ 14 , 18 ]. Simultaneously, core symptoms of burnout report a reversed association with job resources (e.g., role clarity), personal resources (e.g., self-efficacy), and positive work-related attitudes (e.g., organizational commitment) [ 41 ].…”