Burnout and depression: Causal attributions and construct overlap

Burnout has been commonly regarded as a job-induced syndrome. In this 468-participant study (67% female; mean age: 46.48), we examined the extent to which individuals with burnout and depressive symptoms attribute these symptoms to their job. Fewer than half (44%) of the individuals with burnout symptoms viewed their job as the main cause of these symptoms. The proportion of participants ascribing their depressive symptoms to work was similar (39%). Results from correlation and cluster analyses were indicative of burnout-depression overlap. Our findings suggest that burnout may not be a specifically job-induced syndrome and further question the validity of the burnout construct.