Responding to old problems in the Dutch work addiction scale: a psychometric approach in a Peruvian sample

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health Psychology
• Psychometrics
• Public Health

Background:

• Harmful work patterns pose a significant public health challenge.
• These patterns are linked to adverse mental health outcomes, social issues, and physical ailments.
• The normalization of work addiction contributes to these detrimental effects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the psychometric properties and reliability of the DUWAS (Düsseldorf Work Addiction Scale) in Spanish.
• To evaluate the validity of construct-level comparisons using the DUWAS.
• To establish the scale's suitability for use among Spanish-speaking populations.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Spanish version of the DUWAS for psychometric evaluation.
• Collected data from 446 Peruvian workers (60.5% women, aged 18-65).
• Employed statistical analyses to confirm the psychometric model, reliability, and measurement invariance.

Main Results:

• The unidimensional version of the DUWAS was confirmed with strong model fit indices.
• Reliability was found to be acceptable, with Cronbach's alpha (α) at 0.735 and omega (ω) at 0.741.
• Measurement invariance was established across sex and age groups, and concurrent validity was demonstrated with mental health indicators.

Conclusions:

• The study validates the Spanish DUWAS, providing crucial psychometric data.
• Confirmed dimensionality and reliability support its use in Spanish-speaking contexts.
• The findings enable valid construct-level comparisons, aiding research and clinical practice.