Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale

This paper advances the view that "burnout" measures cover the same ground as depressive symptom scales. Problems with burnout scales include their vulnerability to attribution errors. The few studies having both burnout/stress and psychological symptcat measures suggest considerable overlap in the scales. Three cross-sectional studies from very different geographic areas reveal high levels of depressive symptoms or psychological distress in veteran teachers. Correlational evidence using measures of psychophysiologic symptoms, perceived health, job satisfaction, and motivation to continue in the profession indicates that a depressive symptom scale (the CES-D) administered to a group of newly appointed female teachers behaves much the same way burnout measures behave. Additional evidence provided by the longitudinal component of the study is consistent with the view that adverse teaching conditions are causally related to depressive symptoms and that the effect size is large. Finally, it was argued that (a) two of the three components of burnout, emotional exhaustion and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment, are likely to be symptoms of depression and (b) the third component, depersonalization, is reflective of the hostility and friction that characterize the interpersonal relationships of depressed individuals. The paper suggests that burnout may be more fruitfully conceptualized as depressive symptoms that result from adverse