Psychometric properties of the Portuguese Dutch Work Addiction Scale

Objective: To analyse the psychometric properties of the Dutch Work Addiction Scale in a sample of Portuguese nurses. Method: A methodological study was conducted with 1,030 Portuguese nurses. A sociodemographic/professional questionnaire and the Dutch Work Addiction Scale applied between October and December 2019. Results: The Confirmatory Factorial Analyses confirmed the factorial structure of two dimensions, namely Working Excessively (alpha=.730) and Working Compulsively (alpha=.752), grounded on the theoretical model of workaholism; the reliability values were considered adequate. Nurses presented a moderate level of workaholism, with a higher mean value for Working Excessively. Conclusion: The results raised the issue of workaholism and highlighted the need for further study. The Portuguese version of the DUWAS presented good psychometric characteristics and can be considered a valid and useful instrument to identify this problem.