Development of the Japanese version of the work-life integration scale: Focusing on the work environment in Japan
5 affiliations
- 1Graduate School of Education, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
- 2Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Shizuoka University, Shizuoka, Japan
- 3Sunaga Research Institute Co. LTD, Tokyo, Japan
- 4Social Health Promotion Co. LTD, Tokyo, Japan
- 5Anand International College of Engineering, Jaipur, India
Abstract
In Japan, long working hours have become normalized, sometimes leading to serious societal issues such as death from overwork (karoshi) and suicide due to overwork (karojisatsu). Although the importance of work-life balance has been increasingly emphasized as a countermeasure, the diversification of work styles driven by remote work and technology has made it harder to clearly separate work and personal life. In response, this study focuses on the concept of “Work-Life Integration” (WLI) and aims to develop a tool for quantitatively assessing the actual state of WLI. Furthermore, it seeks to clarify the relationship between employment conditions and WLI. This study employed a longitudinal design, and collected data using self-reported measures. The WLI scale was translated into Japanese, and an online survey was conducted to evaluate the construct validity, convergent validity, discriminant validity, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability of the Japanese version (WLIS-J). Data from 704 employed individuals aged 20 years and older living in Japan were analyzed. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the original four-factor model did not fit the WLIS-J. An exploratory factor analysis revealed a new three-factor structure, comprising “Interference between Work and Life,” “Work-Family Strain,” and “Work-Family Enrichment.” Convergent and discriminant validity were supported using five established scales measuring work-life enrichment, work-life conflict, job satisfaction, family satisfaction, and mental health. The Cronbach’s alpha for the overall scale was .85, with subscales ranging from .80 to .89, indicating adequate internal consistency. Intraclass correlation coefficients ranged from .60 to .75, confirming temporal stability. Furthermore, hierarchical multiple regression analyses, with WLI as the dependent variable, revealed that WLI was predicted by personal, work-related, and family-related factors. These findings suggest that the WLIS-J is a useful instrument for assessing work-life integration among Japanese workers, with long working hours in particular emerging as a significant predictor of WLI.
Related
- Development of the Japanese Version of the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study—Activities of Daily Living in Mild Cognitive Impairment Scale
- Development and Validation of the Japanese Version of the Anal Fistula Quality of Life Scale (AF-QoL).
- Parent and child experiences of research participation and retention intentions in a Japanese birth cohort: insights from the Japan Environment and Children’s Study (JECS)
- Reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Sleep Problem Acceptance Questionnaire
- Cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric evaluation of the Japanese version of the scale for the assessment of non-experts’ AI literacy among medical trainees in a multicenter cross-sectional study
BibTeX
@article{uchiyama2026development,
title = {{Development of the Japanese version of the work-life integration scale: Focusing on the work environment in Japan}},
author = {Ayaka Uchiyama and Gen Takagi and Koubun Wakashima and Naoto Sunaga and Takahito Hoshino and Kengo Nonaka and Sourabh Kumar},
journal = {PLOS One},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0356695},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0356695},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Development of the Japanese version of the work-life integration scale: Focusing on the work environment in Japan
AU - Ayaka Uchiyama
AU - Gen Takagi
AU - Koubun Wakashima
AU - Naoto Sunaga
AU - Takahito Hoshino
AU - Kengo Nonaka
AU - Sourabh Kumar
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/11
JO - PLOS One
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0356695
UR - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0356695
AB - In Japan, long working hours have become normalized, sometimes leading to serious societal issues such as death from overwork (karoshi) and suicide due to overwork (karojisatsu). Although the importance of work-life balance has been increasingly emphasized as a countermeasure, the diversification of work styles driven by remote work and technology has made it harder to clearly separate work and personal life. In response, this study focuses on the concept of “Work-Life Integration” (WLI) and aims to develop a tool for quantitatively assessing the actual state of WLI. Furthermore, it seeks to clarify the relationship between employment conditions and WLI. This study employed a longitudinal design, and collected data using self-reported measures. The WLI scale was translated into Japanese, and an online survey was conducted to evaluate the construct validity, convergent validity, discriminant validity, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability of the Japanese version (WLIS-J). Data from 704 employed individuals aged 20 years and older living in Japan were analyzed. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the original four-factor model did not fit the WLIS-J. An exploratory factor analysis revealed a new three-factor structure, comprising “Interference between Work and Life,” “Work-Family Strain,” and “Work-Family Enrichment.” Convergent and discriminant validity were supported using five established scales measuring work-life enrichment, work-life conflict, job satisfaction, family satisfaction, and mental health. The Cronbach’s alpha for the overall scale was .85, with subscales ranging from .80 to .89, indicating adequate internal consistency. Intraclass correlation coefficients ranged from .60 to .75, confirming temporal stability. Furthermore, hierarchical multiple regression analyses, with WLI as the dependent variable, revealed that WLI was predicted by personal, work-related, and family-related factors. These findings suggest that the WLIS-J is a useful instrument for assessing work-life integration among Japanese workers, with long working hours in particular emerging as a significant predictor of WLI.
SN - 1932-6203
ER -