Factor Structure and Validity of the Burnout Assessment for Developmental Disability Settings (BADDS)

This study examined the factor structure, reliability, and validity of the Burnout Assessment for Developmental Disability Settings (BADDS), a self-report scale for measuring workplace stressors that contribute to burnout specifically among behavioral health providers for autism and related developmental disabilities.

We conducted an online survey of 566 autism service providers that comprised the BADDS, the Maslach Burnout Inventory - Human Services Survey (MBI), Areas of Worklife Survey (AWS), and the Patient Health Questionnaire - 9 (PHQ-9). Conducted confirmatory factor analysis based on (Bottini et al., 2026) showed poor fit. An expert panel cut 17 redundant items. Exploratory factor analysis on the remaining 56 items resulted in further reduction to 39 items. To evaluate the validity of the 39-item version, the BADDS was compared to the MBI, AWS, and PHQ-9.

The 39-item BADDS had six factors: Physical Safety, Training & Supervision, Stakeholder Interactions, Professional Development, Stress Management, and Ethics & Values. Across subscales, internal reliability ranged 0.75-0.92. Correlations with MBI and AWS subscales ranged from 0.04 to 0.60. Elevations across BADDS subscales were associated with incremental increases in MBI scores.

The BADDS subscales showed solid internal consistency. Consistent increases in burnout symptoms (MBI scores) with elevations on BADDS subscales, supporting convergent validity. Additional research to confirm the psychometrics and utility of the BADDS is warranted.