Factorial Validity and Variance of the Maslach Burnout Inventory between Demographic and Workload Groups among Dentists of Lithuania

Abstract

There is a lack of evidence about burnout syndrome among Lithuanian dentists; as a reliable instrument to examine the syndrome in this professional group has not yet been tested. The study aimed to investigate the performance of the items and the subscales of the Maslach burnout inventory (MBI) by validating its factorial structure and analyzing its variance between demographic and workload groups of dental professionals in Lithuania. The survey was conducted among practicing dentists online or during the scientific conferences for dentists using an anonymous questionnaire. To evaluate the level of burnout the MBI was chosen. Reports of a total of 380 respondents were examined. Three-factor structure of the MBI with cross-loading of two items suggested a good fit to data (χ²/df = 1.67; CFI = 0.93; TLI = 0.93; IFI = 0.93; and RMSEA = 0.059) and was invariant across demographic and workload groups of dentists. Multigroup factorial analysis revealed that females as compared to males had higher average emotional exhaustion; and the respondents up to 30 years as compared to respondents over 30 years of age had higher averages of the emotional exhaustion and depersonalization components. Highly specialized dentists (oral surgeons, prosthodontists, orthodontists, endodontists and poedodontists) were particularly less prone to burnout syndrome than dentists of general practice. It was concluded that the MBI offers factorial validity and demonstrates its invariant structure and variance of burnout dimensions across demographic and workload groups. These findings are informative for burnout prevention and intervention programs among dentists in Lithuania. Such information may contribute to lessen professional burnout among dentists in Lithuania.

Keywords: Lithuania; Maslach burnout inventory; burnout; dentist; factorial validity; workload.

Figure 1

Flow chart of the data collection process.

Figure 2

Path diagram with standardized estimates of the factorial structure for the final Maslach burnout inventory model (confirmatory factor analysis, N = 190). EE (emotional exhaustion), DP (depersonalization) and PA (personal accomplishment) are common factors; V1, ..., V22 are the Maslach burnout inventory items; err1, ..., err22 are residual errors.