Burnout–Depression Overlap: Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling Bifactor Analysis and Network Analysis

Abstract

Burnout has been viewed as a work-induced condition combining exhaustion, cynicism, and professional inefficacy. Using correlational analyses, an exploratory structural equation modeling bifactor analysis, structural regression analyses, and a network analysis, we examined the claim that burnout should not be mistaken for a depressive syndrome. The study involved 1,258 educational staff members. Burnout was assessed with the Maslach Burnout Inventory–General Survey and depression with the Patient Health Questionnaire–9 and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Illegitimate work tasks and work–nonwork interferences were additionally measured. We notably found that (a) on average, exhaustion, cynicism, and professional inefficacy correlated less strongly with each other than with depression; (b) exhaustion―burnout’s core―was more strongly associated with depression than with either cynicism or professional inefficacy; (c) the Patient Health Questionnaire–9 did not correlate more strongly with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale than with exhaustion; (d) exhaustion and depression loaded primarily on a general distress/dysphoria factor in the exploratory structural equation modeling bifactor analysis; (e) on average, burnout and depression were related to job stressors in a similar manner; (f) work–nonwork interferences were strongly linked to distress/dysphoria. Overall, burnout showed no syndromal unity and lacked discriminant validity. Clinicians should systematically assess depressive symptoms in individuals presenting with a complaint of “burnout.”

Harmonized definition of occupational burnout: A systematic review, semantic analysis, and Delphi consensus in 29 countries

“…Third, we conducted our literature review up to 2018. Although no new definition of burnout has been introduced in the scientific literature since then, several factor-analytic studies have recently concluded that Harmonized burnout definition, finally burnout-and most notably, exhaustion-was reflective of a depressive condition (47,48). Because our temporal limit was 2018, we did not incorporate these findings in our analyses.…”

Commentary: The construct validity of ‘camouflaging’ in autism: psychometric considerations and recommendations for future research ‐ reflection on Lai et al. (2020)

“…To better address this issue, the CAT-Q and other putative camouflaging scales should be subjected to quantitative semantic analysis (Rosenbusch, Wanders, & Pitt, 2020) to determine whether they are indeed substantially similar to existing measures of social anxiety. In addition, future studies of discriminant validity should be conducted using multimeasure latent variable models, which can test hypotheses about whether two sets of items seem to measure one single overarching construct (e.g., testing the distinctiveness of burnout and depression; Verkuilen, Bianchi, Schonfeld, & Laurent, 2020).…”

Psychometric Properties of the Bern Illegitimate Tasks Scale – Spanish Version

“…Kottwitz et al (2013) suggests that illegitimate tasks predict cortisol levels in participants who rated their health comparatively low (b = 1.43, p < 0.01). Verkuilen et al (2020) report that unreasonable tasks and unnecessary tasks are positively correlated with burnout (r = 0.4 and 0.36) and depression (r = 0.42 and 0.37) and are predictors of general distress. Pereira finds that illegitimate tasks are negatively related to sleep quality; specifically, they are positively related to sleep fragmentation and sleep latency (Pereira et al, 2014).…”