Affiliations: Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Division of
Psychology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Daniel Hultell, Karolinska
Institutet, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Division of Psychology, 171 77
Stockholm, Sweden. Tel.: +468 524 838 06; Fax: +468 30 72 98; E-mail: daniel.hultell@ki.se
Abstract: Objective: Burnout and work engagement are generally defined as
psychological states but the methods used to measure these constructs are more
in line with methods used to assess psychological traits. Thus, a new
instrument called the Scale of Work Engagement and Burnout (SWEBO) measuring
the state mood of burnout and work engagement was developed during the fall of
2007. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the SWEBO using
psychometrical methods. Participants: The sample consisted of 2,266 newly
graduated Swedish nurses and teachers. Methods: Measurement models of both burnout and work engagement were evaluated using confirmatory factor
analysis (CFA). Both burnout and work engagement were also tested for
measurement invariance across occupation and age. Results: The fit of the measurement model of burnout was satisfactory and it was invariant across both
occupation and age. The measurement model of work engagement as initially
defined did not fit the data satisfactorily. The model was therefore revised
and reanalyzed. The revised model had a satisfactory fit and was invariant
across occupation. Analysis of its invariance across age, however, gave
ambiguous results that were difficult to interpret. Conclusions: The SWEBO presents a psychometrically sound alternative for measuring burnout and
work engagement.
Keywords: Burnout, work engagement, multi-group confirmatory factor analysis, measurement invariance
