Copenhagen Burnout Inventory
CBIPermission: Public domain. Free to use, reproduce and adapt without asking permission. Cite the original publication.
A 19-item public-domain measure with separate personal, work-related, and client-related burnout scales.
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Reliability & validation
Subscales
Response anchors
Always / To a very high degree · Often / To a high degree · Sometimes / Somewhat · Seldom / To a low degree · Never or almost never / To a very low degree
Known limitations
The three scales are domain-specific and should not be collapsed into one undifferentiated total. The client-related scale is applicable only when respondents work with clients, patients, students, or similar recipients.
Original citation
Kristensen, T. S., Borritz, M., Villadsen, E., & Christensen, K. B. (2005). The Copenhagen Burnout Inventory: A new tool for the assessment of burnout. Work & Stress, 19(3), 192-207.
https://doi.org/10.1080/02678370500297720Questions researchers ask
What does the CBI measure?
A 19-item public-domain measure with separate personal, work-related, and client-related burnout scales.
How many items does the CBI have?
The Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) has 19 items across 3 subscales: Personal Burnout, Work-Related Burnout, Client-Related Burnout.
Is the CBI free to use?
The CBI is in the public domain: free to use, reproduce and adapt without seeking permission. Cite the original source.
Is the CBI reliable?
Validation studies report Cronbach's α of 0.85–0.87. See the reliability section for the population studied and full statistics.
Who developed the CBI, and how do I cite it?
Kristensen, T. S., Borritz, M., Villadsen, E., & Christensen, K. B. (2005). The Copenhagen Burnout Inventory: A new tool for the assessment of burnout. Work & Stress, 19(3), 192-207. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678370500297720
Related scales
Library entry verified August 2026. Metadata is provided for reference. Questionnaires are built in Folio Surveyor, subject to each instrument's licensing, and can be taken to Qualtrics, Google Forms or Microsoft Forms, with their CSV responses brought back for scoring.