Reliability and Validity of the Work and Well-Being Inventory (WBI) for Employees

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Psychometrics
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• The Work and Wellbeing Inventory (WBI), also known as VAR-2 in Dutch, is utilized in occupational healthcare and rehabilitation settings.
• Assessing the psychometric properties of screening tools is crucial for their effective application in clinical practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the reliability and validity of the Work and Wellbeing Inventory (WBI).
• To determine if the WBI can accurately screen for factors contributing to sickness absence and guide interventions.

Main Methods:

• The study analyzed data from 2514 participants across seven samples, including workers, patients, and sick-listed individuals.
• Psychometric properties measured included test-retest reliability, internal consistency, construct validity, concurrent validity, criterion validity, and predictive validity.
• Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were conducted to assess model fit.

Main Results:

• The WBI demonstrated good internal consistency and test-retest reliability across its 13 scales.
• Confirmatory factor analyses indicated a CFI > .90 for all scales, supporting construct validity in both patient and healthy worker populations.
• Specific scales predicted future absenteeism (depression scale) and long-term absenteeism (job strain and illness behavior scales), with illness behavior also predicting return to work in rehabilitation patients.

Conclusions:

• The WBI is a psychometrically sound instrument for occupational health practitioners.
• It serves as a valuable tool for identifying individuals at risk of prolonged or future sickness absence.
• Findings support the use of the WBI for informing advice and interventions aimed at restoring work ability.