Der deutsche Work Role Functioning Questionnaire – Zur Evaluation seiner Messeigenschaften

Abstract

The German Work Role Functioning Questionnaire – on the evaluation of its measurement properties Objectives: Measures to maintain the employability of workers should also take their functional ability into account. The Work Role Functioning Questionnaire (WRFQ), which is available in several languages, is suitable for such an assessment. A validated version in German had been missing until now. The 27-item questionnaire was culturally adapted from the Dutch version of WRFQ 2.0 and used with a heterogeneous sample of employees with the aim of psychometrically validating the overall scale and the four subscales. Methods: After adaptation, members of a commercial online access panel with a wide variety of occupations were recruited (T0: n = 653). Two follow-ups were conducted to assess further psychometric properties (T1: n = 66, T2: n = 95). We examined the 1) structural, 2) convergent and 3) discriminant validity using exploratory factor analysis, 4) floor and ceiling effects, as well as 5) the internal consistency, 6) reproducibility, and 7) responsiveness. Results: Measurement properties were found to be good, with the exception of responsiveness and structural validity. In the exploratory factor analysis, satisfactory replicability was found for three of the four subscales (mental and social demands, physical demands and flexibility demands, but not scheduling and output demands). Conclusions: The WRFQ is aimed at the fit between demands and the individual and thus at the ability to participate. With the development and validation of a German-language version, the scale can be used in practice, e.g. in interventions aimed at secondary prevention to maintain the ability to work, tertiary prevention to support a successful return to work, or the identification of employees with declining functional ability. The limitations of the study (limited representativeness of online access panels and poor replicability of the fourth subscale) require further research. Keywords: work capacity evaluation – Work Role Functioning Questionnaire – survey – psychometric measurement properties