Objective: Although the term workaholism is widely used, because of the changes in the nature of work and careers in recent years, research on this topic is still hindered by the absence of common definitions and measures. In recent times, some researchers have found evidence of the association of workaholism and poorer psychosocial well-being: hence, the need for a deeper understanding of the construct and its measurement. This study aims to examine the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Work Excessively (WE) scale of the brief DUWAS (1, 2).
Methods: The 5-item scale was submitted to a sample of 853 workers from different occupational sectors. The psychometric characteristics of the scale have been examined through explorative and confirmatory factor analysis and reliability.
Results: The results of the data analysis confirm the one-factor solution, with a good internal consistency: the scale shows differences based on some demographic variables (gender and professional sector) and the correlations with other dimensions are in line with the indications in literature.
Conclusions: Further investigations could concern the construct's reliability using a test-retest procedure as well as the analysis of relationships with other indicators of workaholism. The 5-item Italian version of the WE scale could be used in Italy to understand the role of this construct in working issues, particularly in studies on work related stress.