Measuring ICD-11 Burnout: The Development and Validation of the Burnout Syndrome Test in a Nationally Representative Sample

Abstract

The World Health Organization (WHO) recognises burnout as an occupational phenomenon in the International Classification of Diseases 11th revision (ICD-11), arising from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is defined by three core symptoms: (1) energy depletion or exhaustion, (2) increased mental distance or cynicism toward work, and (3) a sense of ineffectiveness and lack of accomplishment. Despite growing research, existing assessment tools fall short to capture burnout following this updated definition. This study addresses this gap by developing the Burnout Syndrome Test (BST), a standardised psychometric tool grounded in the WHO’s ICD-11 criteria. The BST was evaluated in two UK-based samples: a non-representative employee group (n = 245; mean age = 28.93 years, SD = 8.31 years) and a nationally representative sample (n = 1,001, mean age = 46.43, SD = 15.53 years), focusing on employed individuals (n = 758, mean age = 44.55 years, SD = 14.06 years). Confirmatory factor analysis supported a second-order model comprising energy depletion, mental distance, and professional ineffectiveness. Scalar measurement invariance was supported for gender and no significant gender differences were observed in terms of burnout latent means. As expected, burnout levels measured by the BST were positively associated with work addiction, presenteeism, depression, and anxiety symptoms, and negatively associated with work engagement. In the representative sample, burnout prevalence was 14.64%. Overall, the results suggest that the BST is a brief and sound psychometric tool for assessing burnout, supporting consistent measurement across studies, occupations, and populations.