An article titled "The International Work Addiction Scale (IWAS): A screening tool for clinical and organizational applications validated in 85 cultures from six continents," co-authored by Ulker Isayeva, professor at Khazar University's Psychology Department, has been published in the "Journal of Behavioral Addictions." The journal serves as a platform for scientific exchange on behavioral addictions and encompasses research on genetic, neurobiological, psychological, clinical psychiatric, epidemiological, social, and anthropological approaches to behavioral addictions. "Journal of Behavioral Addictions" is recognized as one of the most prestigious academic publications globally, indexed as Q1.
The article highlights that despite significant advances in scientific research on work addiction in recent years, a major challenge in this field remains the absence of a globally reliable and valid measurement instrument. This research, conducted to address this deficiency, has established a scale with cross-cultural reliability and validity for scientifically identifying work addiction.
The International Work Addiction Scale (IWAS), a 16-item questionnaire, was administered to 31,352 employees across 85 different cultures worldwide. The findings revealed correlations between work addiction and high work stress, job satisfaction, and self-confidence. The research demonstrates that the IWAS can yield reliable results across different cultures and languages, indicating its potential utility in both clinical and organizational settings.