Transcultural adaptation and validation of the work-life indicator scale for use in Brazil: Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil)

Abstract Objective: to describe the stages in the transcultural adaptation and dimensional validation of the “life-work indicator” scale for use in Brazil. Methods: equivalence analyses regarding concept, items, and semantics were conducted by researchers experienced in using scales and/or occupational health. The scale was applied to the third wave of the Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (Estudo Longitudinal de Saúde do Adulto, ELSA-Brasil). Measurement equivalence was then assessed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Results: applied to 7,277 participants (50.3% of them male), the scale displayed equivalences regarding concept, items, and semantics proper to the Brazilian context, as well as appropriate correspondences in referential/denotative meaning of terms and overall/connotative meaning of items. EFA and CFA corroborated its theoretical structure in three dimensions -i) personal life invading work, ii) work invading personal life, and iii) perceived boundary control - returning suitable fit indices after exclusion of two items from the first dimension. CFA returned comparative fit index of 0.968, Tucker-Lewis index of 0.957, and root mean square error of approximation of 0.039 (90%CI: 0.035;0.041). Conclusion: the scale shows to be promising for assessing the management of boundaries between work and personal life in the Brazilian context, and will facilitate studies on the influence of such management on workers’ health and wellbeing.