Evaluating the two‐item measure of engagement at work for Japan Self‐Defense Forces: A cross‐sectional study

Aim Work engagement is critical in both occupational and mental health contexts. However, no studies have compared the usefulness of the nine‐, three‐, and two‐item measures from the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES). Therefore, this study aimed to examine the internal consistency and convergent validity of the two‐item measure and compare its usefulness with the nine‐item and three‐item versions for assessing engagement at work among Japan Self‐Defense Forces (JSDF) personnel. Methods This cross‐sectional study included 229,383 participants who underwent an annual mental health check between October 19 and December 17, 2021. To test the internal consistency of the scales, Cronbach's alpha was used. To test the convergent validity, Pearson's correlation coefficients were examined for each item corresponding to job resources, job satisfaction, stress reactions, and job demands assessed by the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire. Results Most participants were men (89.8%). Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the nine‐, three‐, and two‐item scales were 0.95, 0.85, and 0.80, respectively. All three versions showed significant and positive correlations with each of the items corresponding to job resources and job satisfaction. The correlation coefficients of the two‐item scale were not inferior to those of the nine‐item and three‐item scales for job resources and job satisfaction items. Conclusion Our results showed the internal consistency and convergent validity for the two‐item measure of engagement at work among JSDF personnel. The two‐item measure may be useful for briefly and efficiently assessing the actual state of workers' engagement at work.