Latent burnout profiles: A new approach to understanding the burnout experience

•Based on a person-centered analysis of people's burnout scores, this research identified five different profiles on the continuum between Burnout (the most negative experience) to Engagement (the most positive).•The three intermediate profiles were Disengaged (characterized by high cynicism only), Overextended (high exhaustion only), and Ineffective (high inefficacy only).•Each profile has distinct relationships with various worklife factors, which suggests that each profile reflects a different worklife crisis that would require a unique intervention strategy.

Latent profile analysis, with two large datasets, was used to identify multiple person-centered profiles across the burnout - engagement continuum, as assessed by the three dimensions of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). Five profiles emerged from this analysis: Burnout (high on all three dimensions), Engagement (low on all three), Overextended (high on exhaustion only), Disengaged (high on cynicism only), and Ineffective (high on inefficacy only). Each of these profiles showed a different pattern of correlates with organizational variables. The Disengaged profile was more negative than Overextended, and closer to the Burnout profile, which argues against the use of exhaustion alone as a proxy for burnout. The results have important implications for theory, research, and interventions.