Towards a Four-Dimensional Model of Burnout: A Multigroup Factor-Analytic Study Including Depersonalization and Cynicism

Abstract

This article investigated whether cynicism and depersonalization are two different dimensions of burnout or whether they may be collapsed into one construct of mental distance. Using confirmatory factor analyses in two samples of teachers ( n = 483) and blue-collar workers ( n = 474), a superior fit was found for the four-factor model that contained cynicism, depersonalization, exhaustion, and professional efficacy as dimensions of burnout. In particular, cynicism and depersonalization emerged as unique burnout dimensions. Moreover, it appeared from multigroup analyses that this four-dimensional structure of burnout is partially invariant across both samples. Cynicism and depersonalization seemed to play a different role in both samples, particularly as far as their relationship with professional efficacy is concerned. It is recommended that future research on burnout should include the cynicism and depersonalization constructs.