The construct validity of the Spanish version of the ABQ using a multi-trait/multi-method approach

This study was designed to evaluate construct validity evidence associated with the Spanish version of the Athlete Burnout Questionnaire (ABQ) using a multi-trait/multi-method (MTMM) approach. The ABQ was administered to a sample of 302 Spanish athletes, along with two other questionnaires including the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS) and the Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale (DASS-21), which respectively measure burnout in organizational settings and indicators of ill being including depression, anxiety and stress. A structural equation modeling approach to a MTMM analysis was used. Results revealed by comparative analysis of four models that the Spanish version of ABQ has convergent and internal discriminant validity evident by high correlations between matching burnout subscales across two measures and lower correlations between non-matching dimensions. In addition, the burnout measures exhibited external discriminant validity as the correlations between burnout dimensions were higher than those seen between conceptually related, but unique, constructs.