Revisiting a Global Burnout Score with the Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT) Across Nine Country Samples

Studies published on the validity of the Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT), a novel burnout instrument, have gained traction in the literature over recent years. The BAT has been successfully shown to be equivalent across representative samples when modeled as a second-order/higher-order model. However, this specification is not free of criticism and the bifactor approach has been presented as the alternative model specification. Therefore, a study investigating the construct-relevant multidimensionality of the BAT across many representative samples is warranted to reassess a global burnout factor (n = 9,041). We implemented bifactor exploratory structural equation modeling to ascertain the relevance of a global burnout factor and specific component factors (bifactor-ESEM). According to the standardized loadings and McDonald's ω coefficients, the results showed that the bifactor-ESEM model had a strong global burnout factor with relevant specific factors beyond the global factor. The model also showed measurement invariance across countries and genders. We also present a figure that compares the global burnout mean scores of the countries. All in all, the results of this study reaffirmed that BAT-assessed burnout can be modeled with an equivalent global burnout score across conditions.