Companionate Love at Work: Validity Evidence of the ECET in Brazil

https://doi.org/10.5935/rpot/e26308

Abstract

This study aimed to adapt and gather validity evidence for the Emotional Culture at Work Scale (ECET), which operationalizes companionate love as a dimension of emotional culture in the Brazilian organizational context. The lack of nationally validated instruments has limited systematic research on this construct in Brazil. Qualitative and quantitative procedures were conducted, including independent translation, expert review, regional focus groups, pilot testing, and psychometric analyses with a sample of 532 workers from different sectors and regions of the country. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a unidimensional structure with high internal consistency (α = 0.90). Additional validity evidence was observed through positive correlations with positive affect and negative correlations with negative affect, as well as significant associations with organizational practices related to care, belonging, and transparent communication. Item Response Theory analyses using the graded response model indicated adequate item discrimination, particularly at moderate levels of the latent trait. Overall, results suggest that the ECET is a brief, reliable, and sensible instrument for organizational assessment of companionate love at work.