Maslach, C., & Jackson, S. E. (1981). The measurement of experienced burnout. Journal of Occupational Behaviour, 2(2), 99–113. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.4030020205
Number of items
22 (MBI-HSS); 16 (MBI-General Survey)
Response format
7-point frequency scale (0 = Never to 6 = Every day)
Dimensions & subscales
Emotional exhaustion (9 items in MBI-HSS)
Depersonalization (5 items in MBI-HSS)
Personal accomplishment (8 items in MBI-HSS; reverse-keyed)
MBI-General Survey renames these Exhaustion, Cynicism, and Professional Efficacy (16 items)
Reliability (commonly reported)
Alphas are commonly reported around .88–.92 for emotional exhaustion, .70s for depersonalization, and .70–.80 for personal accomplishment.
Validity evidence
The three-factor structure has been replicated in a very large international literature, with convergent validity against other strain measures and criterion links to absenteeism, health outcomes and turnover. Debates continue about profiles versus dimension scores and about the reverse-keyed efficacy dimension.
Populations & contexts
Originally human-services and healthcare workers (MBI-HSS); the MBI-GS extends it to all occupations, with educator (MBI-ES) and student (MBI-GS(S)) versions.
Origin, translations & adaptations
United States. Licensed translations exist in many languages through the publisher.
Licensing & permission
Commercial license required (Mind Garden) The MBI is copyrighted and distributed by Mind Garden, Inc. Every administration — including academic research — requires purchasing licenses/forms from the publisher, and the items may not be reproduced in theses or papers. Budget for this or consider free alternatives such as the OLBI or CBI.
How to cite (APA 7)
Maslach, C., & Jackson, S. E. (1981). The measurement of experienced burnout. Journal of Occupational Behaviour, 2(2), 99–113. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.4030020205 [Manual: Maslach, C., Jackson, S. E., & Leiter, M. P. (2018). Maslach Burnout Inventory manual (4th ed.). Mind Garden.]
Short versions & notable variants
MBI-HSS (22 items, human services) and MBI-HSS (MP) for medical personnel
MBI-ES (educators survey)
MBI-GS (16 items, all occupations) and MBI-GS(S) for students