Abstract
This study investigates the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Utrecht General Engagement Scale (UGES). This measure extends the study of engagement, a popular concept in work and organizational literature, to daily activities among Spanish-speaking adults. We collected data from 284 individuals living in Puerto Rico using an online questionnaire. The confirmatory factor analysis results showed that a one-factor model of the UGES presents the best model fit. The UGES was positively related to satisfaction with life, positive affect, and subjective health, and negatively correlated to negative affect, stress, anxiety, and depression. This result supports the validity of the UGES-Spanish version as a measure of well-being, contributing to expediting the research of general engagement in daily activities.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data availability
The dataset generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
References
Agarwal, G., Mosquera, M., Ring, M., & Victorson, D. (2020). Work engagement in medical students: An exploratory analysis of the relationship between engagement, burnout, perceived stress, lifestyle factors, and medical student attitudes. Medical Teacher, 42(3), 299–305. https://doi.org/10.1080/0142159X.2019.1679746
Ampofo, E. T. (2021). Do job satisfaction and work engagement mediate the effects of psychological contract breach and abusive supervision on hotel employees’ life satisfaction? Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 30(3), 282–304. https://doi.org/10.1080/19368623.2020.1817222
Bakken, B., & Torp, S. (2012). Work engagement and health among industrial workers. Scandinavian Journal of Organizational Psychology, 4(1), 4–20.
Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2017). Job demands–resources theory: Taking stock and looking forward. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 22(3), 273–285. https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000056
Bakker, A. B., & Oerlemans, W. (2011). Subjective well-being in organizations. The Oxford Handbook of Positive Organizational Scholarship, 49, 178–189. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199734610.013.0014
Bakker, A. B., Schaufeli, W. B., Leiter, M. P., & Taris, T. W. (2008). Work engagement: An emerging concept in occupational health psychology. Work & Stress, 22(3), 187–200. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678370802393649
Bakker, A. B., Vergel, A. I. S., & Kuntze, J. (2015). Student engagement and performance: A weekly diary study on the role of openness. Motivation and Emotion, 39(1), 49–62. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-014-9422-5
Borst, R. T., Kruyen, P. M., Lako, C. J., & de Vries, M. S. (2020). The attitudinal, behavioral, and performance outcomes of work engagement: A comparative meta-analysis across the public, semipublic, and private sector. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 40(4), 613–640. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734371X19840399
Browne, M. W., & Cudeck, R. (1993). Alternative ways of assessing model fit. In K. A. Bollen & J. S. Long (Eds.), Testing structural equation models (pp. 136–162). Sage.
Butler, J., & Kern, M. L. (2016). The PERMA-Profiler: A brief multidimensional measure of flourishing. International Journal of Wellbeing, 6, 1–48. https://doi.org/10.5502/ijw.v6i3.526
Byrne, B. M. (2012). Structural equation modeling with Mplus: Basic concepts, applications, and programming. Routledge.
Carmona-Halty, M. A., Schaufeli, W. B., & Salanova, M. (2019). The Utrecht work engagement scale for students (UWES–9S): Factorial validity, reliability, and measurement invariance in a Chilean sample of undergraduate university students. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 1017. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01017
Carmona-Halty, M. A., Salanova, M., Llorens, S., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2021). Linking positive emotions and academic performance: The mediated role of academic psychological capital and academic engagement. Current Psychology, 40, 2938–2947. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-019-00227-8
Cobo-Rendón, R., López-Angulo, Y., Pérez-Villalobos, M. V., & Díaz-Mujica, A. (2020). Perceived Social Support and Its Effects on Changes in the Affective and Eudaimonic Well-Being of Chilean University Students. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 3380. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.590513
Diener, E., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S. (1985). The Satisfaction with Life Scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49(1), 71–75. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa4901_13
Diener, E., Suh, E. M., Lucas, R. E., & Smith, H. L. (1999). Subjective well-being: Three decades of progress. Psychological Bulletin, 125(2), 276. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.125.2.276
Farndale, E., Beijer, S. E., Van Veldhoven, M. J., Kelliher, C., & Hope-Hailey, V. (2014). Work and organisation engagement: Aligning research and practice. Journal of Organizational Effectiveness, 1, 157–176. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOEPP-03-2014-0015
Ferreira, M. C., Valentini, F., Figueredo Damásio, B., Mourão, L., Barreriros Porto, J., de Carvalho, S., Chinelato, R., Pinto Novaes, V., & Morelo Pereira, M. (2016). Evidencias adicionales de validez de la UWES-9 en muestras brasileñas. Estudos De Psicologia (natal), 21(4), 435–445. https://doi.org/10.5935/1678-4669.20160042
Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39–50. https://doi.org/10.2307/3151312
Froh, J. J., Kashdan, T. B., Yurkewicz, C., Fan, J., Allen, J., & Glowacki, J. (2010). The benefits of passion and absorption in activities: Engaged living in adolescents and its role in psychological well-being. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 5(4), 311–332. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2010.498624
Garg, N., & Singh, P. (2020). Work engagement as a mediator between subjective well-being and work-and-health outcomes. Management Research Review, 43(6), 735–752. https://doi.org/10.1108/MRR-03-2019-0143
González-Rivera, J. A., & Rosario-Rodríguez, A. (2020). Características psicométricas de la escala de satisfacción con la vida (SWLS) en una muestra de adultos puertorriqueños. Revista Puertorriqueña De Psicología, 31(1), 128–139.
Grabovac, M. T., Salkičević, S., & Löw Stanić, A. (2016). Work engagement of dual-working couples: Dissimilarity and its relation to both partners’ well-being. Current Psychology: A Journal for Diverse Perspectives on Diverse Psychological Issues, 35(4), 595–605. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-015-9326-x
Gusy, B., Lesener, T., & Wolter, C. (2019). Measuring well-being with the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-Student Form. European Journal of Health Psychology, 26(2), 31–38. https://doi.org/10.1027/2512-8442/a000027
Hair, J.F., Black, W.C., Babin, B.J., & Anderson, R.E. (2010). Multivariate Data Analysis (7th ed.). Prentice Hall.
Hakanen, J. J., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2012). Do burnout and work engagement predict depressive symptoms and life satisfaction? A three-wave seven-year prospective study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 141(2–3), 415–424. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2012.02.043
Hakanen, J. J., Peeters, M. C., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2018). Different types of employee well-being across time and their relationships with job crafting. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 23(2), 289. https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000081
Hallberg, U. E., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2006). “Same same” but different? Can work engagement be discriminated from job involvement and organizational commitment? European Psychologist, 11(2), 119–127. https://doi.org/10.1027/1016-9040.11.2.119
Hernández Vargas, C. I., Llorens Gumbau, S., Rodríguez Sánchez, A. M., & Dickinson Bannack, M. E. (2016). Validation of the UWES-9 Scale in Mexican Health Professionals. Pensamiento Psicológico, 14(2), 89–100. https://doi.org/10.11144/Javerianacali.PPSI14-2.veup
Hernández-Vergel, V., Prada-Núñez, R., & Hernández-Suárez, C. A. (2018). Adaptación del perfil PERMA de bienestar subjetivo para adultos mayores institucionalizados colombianos. Revista Ciencia y Cuidado, 15(1), 83–97.
Hobfoll, S. E., Halbesleben, J., Neveu, J. P., & Westman, M. (2018). Conservation of Resources in the organizational context: The reality of resources and their consequences. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 5, 103–128. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych032117-104640
Hu, L.-T., & Bentler, P. M. (1995). Evaluating model fit. In R. H. Hoyle (Ed.), Structural equation modeling: Concepts, issues, and applications (pp. 76–99). Sage Publications Inc.
Innstrand, S. T., Langballe, E. M., & Falkum, E. (2012). A longitudinal study of the relationship between work engagement and symptoms of anxiety and depression. Stress and Health, 28(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.1395
Jöreskog, K. G., & Sörbom, D. (1993). LISREL 8: Structural equation modeling with the SIMPLIS command language. Scientific software international.
Kahn, W. A. (1990). Psychological conditions of personal engagement and disengagement at work. Academy of Management Journal, 33(4), 692–724. https://doi.org/10.5465/256287
Kuppens, P., Realo, A., & Diener, E. (2008). The role of positive and negative emotions in life satisfaction judgment across nations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95(1), 66. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.95.1.66
Leger, K. A., Charles, S. T., & Almeida, D. M. (2018). Let it go: Lingering negative affect in response to daily stressors is associated with physical health years later. Psychological Science, 29(8), 1283–1290. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797618763097
MacCallum, R. C., Roznowski, M., & Necowitz, L. B. (1992). Model modifications in covariance structure analysis: The problem of capitalization on chance. Psychological Bulletin, 111(3), 490–504. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.111.3.490
Martínez, I. M., Youssef-Morgan, C. M., Chambel, M. J., & Marques-Pinto, A. (2019). Antecedents of academic performance of university students: Academic engagement and psychological capital resources. Educational Psychology, 39(8), 1047–1067. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2019.1623382
Mauno, S., Hirvonen, R., & Kiuru, N. (2018). Children’s life satisfaction: The roles of mothers’ work engagement and recovery from work. Journal of Happiness Studies, 19(5), 1373–1393. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-017-9878-6
Montalbán, R. R., Sánchez-Cardona, I., & Lugo, M. M. (2014). Análisis de las propiedades psicométricas de la Utrecht Work Engagement Scale en una muestra de trabajadores en Puerto Rico. Universitas Psychologica, 13(4). https://doi.org/10.11144/Javeriana.UPSY13-4.appu
Muthukrishna, M., Bell, A. V., Henrich, J., Curtin, C. M., Gedranovich, A., McInerney, J., & Thue, B. (2020). Beyond Western, Educated, Industrial, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) psychology: Measuring and mapping scales of cultural and psychological distance. Psychological Science, 31(6), 678–701. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797620916782
Nylocks, K. M., Rafaeli, E., Bar-Kalifa, E., Flynn, J. J., & Coifman, K. G. (2019). Testing the influence of negative and positive emotion on future health-promoting behaviors in a community sample. Motivation and Emotion, 43(2), 285–298. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-018-9729-8
Pastrana, M. P., & Salazar-Piñeros, F. (2016). Perfil PERMA en una muestra de jóvenes voluntarios colombianos. Katharsis, 22, 13–34.
Rivera, J. A. G., & Rodríguez, A. R. (2020). Características psicométricas de la escala de satisfacción con la vida (SWLS) en una muestra de adultos puertorriqueños. Revista Puertorriqueña de Psicología, 31(1), 128–139. http://www.ojs.repsasppr.net/index.php/reps/article/view/407
Rodríguez-Montalbán, R., Martínez-Lugo, M., & Sánchez-Cardona, I. (2014). Análisis de las propiedades psicométricas de la Utrecht Work Engagement Scale en una muestra de trabajadores en Puerto Rico. Universitas Psychologica, 13(4), 1255–1266. https://doi.org/10.11144/Javeriana.UPSY13-4.appu
Rodríguez-Muñoz, A., Sanz-Vergel, A. I., Demerouti, E., & Bakker, A. B. (2014). Engaged at work and happy at home: A spillover–crossover model. Journal of Happiness Studies: An Interdisciplinary Forum on Subjective Well-Being, 15(2), 271–283. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-013-9421-3
Roselló, J., Zayas, G., & Lora, V. (2016). Impacto de un adiestramiento en meditación en conciencia plena (mindfulness) en medidas de ansiedad, depresión, ira y estrés y conciencia plena: Un estudio piloto. Revista Puertorriqueña de Psicología, 27(1), 62- 78. http://www.ojs.repsasppr.net/index.php/reps/article/view/278
Russell, J. A. (1980). A circumplex model of affect. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 39(6), 1161–1178. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0077714
Russell, J. A. (2003). Core affect and the psychological construction of emotion. Psychological Review, 110(1), 145–172. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.110.1.145
Sánchez-Cardona, I., Rodríguez-Montalbán, R., Toro-Alfonso, J., & Moreno-Velázquez, I. M. (2016). Propiedades psicométricas de la Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-Student (UWES-S) en universitarios de Puerto Rico. Revista Mexicana de Psicología, 33(2), 121–134. https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=243056044004
Schaufeli, W. B. (2012). The measurement of work engagement. In R. R. Sinclair, M. Wang, & L. E. Tetrick (Eds.), Research methods in occupational health psychology: Measurement, design, and data analysis (pp. 138–153). Routledge.
Schaufeli, W. B. (2017). General engagement: Conceptualization and measurement with the Utrecht General Engagement Scale (UGES). Journal of Well-Being Assessment, 1(1), 9–24. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41543-017-0001-x
Schaufeli, W. B., & Bakker, A. B. (2010). Defining and measuring work engagement: Bringing clarity to the concept. In A. B. Bakker & M. P. Leiter (Eds.), Work engagement: A handbook of essential theory and research (pp. 10–24). Psychology Press.
Schaufeli, W. B., Martinez, I. M., Pinto, A. M., Salanova, M., & Bakker, A. B. (2002a). Burnout and engagement in university students: A cross-national study. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 33(5), 464–481. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022102033005003
Schaufeli, W. B., Salanova, M., Gonzales-Romá, V., & Bakker, A. B. (2002b). The measurement of engagement and burn out: A two–sample confirmatory factor analytic approach. Journal of Happiness Studies, 3(1), 71–92. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1015630930326
Schaufeli, W. B., Bakker, A. B., & Salanova, M. (2006). The measurement of work engagement with a short questionnaire: A cross-national study. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 66(4), 701–716. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164405282471
Sirois, F. M., Kitner, R., & Hirsch, J. K. (2015). Self-compassion, affect, and health-promoting behaviors. Health Psychology, 34(6), 661–669. https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0000158
Spontón, C., Medrano, L. A., Maffei, L., Spontón, M., & Castellano, E. (2012). Validación del cuestionario de engagement UWES a la población de trabajadores de Córdoba, Argentina. Liberabit, 18(2), 147–154. https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=68624684005
Tomás, J. M., de los Santos, S., Georgieva, S., & Enrique, S. (2018). Utrecht work engagement scale in Dominican teachers: Dimensionality, reliability, and validity. Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 34(2), 89-93. https://doi.org/10.5093/jwop2018a11
Torp, S., Grimsmo, A., Hagen, S., Duran, A., & Gudbergsson, S. B. (2013). Work engagement: A practical measure for workplace health promotion? Health Promotion International, 28(3), 387–396. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/das022
Upadyaya, K., Vartiainen, M., & Salmela-Aro, K. (2016). From job demands and resources to work engagement, burnout, life satisfaction, depressive symptoms, and occupational health. Burnout Research, 3(4), 101–108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.burn.2016.10.001
Villa George, F. I., Moreno-Jiménez, B., Rodríguez Muñoz, A., & Sanz Vergel, A. I. (2019). Engagement as a health indicator: Psychometric properties of UWES in Mexicans. Vertientes Revista Especializada En Ciencias De La Salud, 22(1), 42–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.medin.2016.06.004
Warr, P. B., Bindl, U. K., Parker, S. K., & Inceoglu, I. (2014). Four-quadrant investigation of job-related affects and behaviours. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 23(3), 342–363. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2012.744449
Warr, P. B., Sánchez-Cardona, I., Taneva, S. K., Vera, M., Bindl, U. K., & Cifre, E. (2021). Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory, approach-affect and avoidance-affect. Cognition and Emotion, 35(4), 619–635. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2020.1855119
Xanthopoulou, D., & Bakker, A. B. (2021). Antecedents and consequences of work engagement: A multilevel nomological net. In J.P. Meyer & B. Schneider (Eds.), A Research Agenda for Employee Engagement in a Changing World of Work (p. 37–51). Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781789907858.00010
Yik, M., Russell, J. A., & Steiger, J. H. (2011). A 12-point circumplex structure of core affect. Emotion, 11(4), 705–731. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0023980
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.
Additional information
Publisher's note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
This work was supported by the Institutional Center for Scientific Research at Albizu University, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Sánchez-Cardona, I., Rowe, W., Vera, M. et al. Measuring engagement in daily life: validation of the spanish version of the utrecht general engagement scale (UGES). Curr Psychol 43, 3538–3547 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-04626-w
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-04626-w