Measuring work engagement in Thailand: development and validation testing of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale - Thai version (UWES-TH)

This study aimed to develop and test the psychometric properties of a Thai-language version of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES). The 17-item version of UWES was translated into Thai and a survey was conducted with 507 registered nurses at a public regional hospital in Thailand. Results showed that the alpha and omega total coefficients for the vigor, dedication, and absorption subscales were acceptable. Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling (ESEM) indicated that the three-factor model performed the best for both versions of UWES-17-TH and UWES-9-TH. Both versions correlated positively with job resources and negatively with cognitive, emotional, and physical job demands, and with emotional exhaustion and physical symptoms. They were found to have acceptable reliability and validity and can be used to study work engagement in Thai contexts. For practical reasons, UWES-9-TH might be preferred since it is shorter than the full version. Further studies should include different occupational groups and more male participants.