Development of Korean Version Burnout Syndrome Scale (KBOSS) Using WHO’s Definition of Burnout Syndrome

• Published in: Safety and health at work Vol. 12; no. 4; pp. 522 - 529
• Main Authors: Kim, Hyung Doo, Park, Shin-Goo, Kim, Won-Hyoung, Min, Kyoung-Bok, Min, Jin-Young, Hwang, Sang-Hee
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korea (South) Elsevier B.V 01.12.2021; Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute; Elsevier; 한국산업안전보건공단 산업안전보건연구원
• Subjects: Burnout syndrome; Burnout, Professional; Burnout, Professional / diagnosis; Exhaustion; Mental disorder; Mental health; Original; 예방의학; Burnout, Professional / diagnosis; BCSQ; Mental health; BOS; FSS; Burnout syndrome; GAD; MBI; Exhaustion; Mental disorder; KBOSS; PHQ; Burnout, Professional; WHO; FSS, Fatigue Severity Scale; GAD, Generalized Anxiety Disorder; BOS, burnout syndrome; KBOSS, Korean version burnout syndrome scale; BCSQ, Burnout Clinical Subtypes Questionnaire; MBI, Maslach Burnout Inventory; WHO, World Health Organization; PHQ, Patient Health Questionnaires
• ISSN: 2093-7911; 2093-7997
• DOI: 10.1016/j.shaw.2021.08.001

Burnout syndrome (BOS) is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. This study aims to create the Korean version burnout syndrome scale (KBOSS) that conforms to WHO’s definition of BOS and present the cut-off points for screening. We developed the KBOSS based on WHO’s definition of BOS. An online survey was conducted through a specialized online research company. We recruited 444 workers for this research. The validity of the KBOSS was assessed using factor analysis and Pearson’s correlation. The KBOSS reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. The cut-off points for each of the three dimensions were derived using the upper quartile score. The validity and reliability of the KBOSS were good. Regarding reliability, the scale’s overall Cronbach’s alpha was 0.813. Cronbach’s alpha of each three-dimension was as follows: exhaustion, 0.916; cynicism, 0.865; and professional inefficacy, 0.819. The cut-off points of BOS three dimensions are exhaustion ≧ 21; cynicism ≧ 18; and inefficacy ≧ 15. The developed questionnaire (KBOSS) can be a useful tool for screening of BOS.