Brief Description
The Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI) is a self-report assessment tool designed to measure burnout, particularly in work-related contexts. Unlike other burnout measures that primarily focus on emotional exhaustion, the OLBI assesses two core dimensions: exhaustion and disengagement from work. Exhaustion refers to feelings of physical, cognitive, and emotional depletion, while disengagement reflects an individual's growing indifference or distancing from their job. Respondents are asked to rate their level of agreement with statements concerning burnout (e.g., “There are days when I feel tired before I arrive at work”). The OLBI is widely used in occupational health research and workplace assessments to identify employees at risk of burnout and to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions aimed at reducing burnout.
Assessment Administration Type
Self-report
Number of questions
16
Age Range for Administration
18+
Recommended Frequency of Administration
No recommended standard frequency; Blueprint recommends weekly or as indicated.
Summary of Scoring and Interpretations
Responses on the OLBI are recorded using a 4-point Likert scale from “Strongly agree” (1) to “Strongly disagree” (4). Note, items 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, and 12 are reversed scored (i.e., “Strongly agree” is 4 and “Strongly disagree” is 1). The total score is the sum of the item response scores. Total scores range from 16 to 64 with higher scores indicating higher levels of burnout.
The two core dimensions are subscales and subscale scores are found by averaging the responses for the corresponding items and are interpreted as follows:
Subscale | Corresponding Items | Subscale Score Interpretation |
Exhaustion | 2, 4, 5, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 | Higher scores indicate greater levels of physical and emotional exhaustion |
Disengagement | 1, 3, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15 | Higher scores reflect greater levels of detachment and dissatisfaction with work |
Blueprint Adjustments
N/A
Clinical Considerations
Estimated completion time: 4-6 minutes.
The OLBI has been validated for use to measure burnout in a wide variety of professions, such as healthcare workers, psychotherapists, aircraft maintenance technicians, and construction workers. It is reasonable to assume this measure would assess burnout in workers in most industries.
Citation
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