Psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Occupational Fatigue Exhaustion/Recovery (OFER) scale among healthcare professionals

Objective: The purpose of this study was to analyze the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Occupational Fatigue Exhaustion/Recovery (OFER). Methods: A cross-sectional study among 434 healthcare workers was undertaken. The factorial validity of the OFER, was compared using standard confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM). Internal consistency, convergent validity, and factorial invariance (across gender) were assessed. Results: A three-factor first-order ESEM solution provided the best and most parsimonious representation of the data: χ2(63) = 212.81, p <.001, RMSEA = 0.074 (90% CI 0.063–0.085), CFI = 0.949, TLI = 0.915. The three-factors were chronic fatigue, acute fatigue, and intershift recovery. Chronic and acute factors showed excellent internal consistency (ω > 0.80), however intershift recovery showed less internal consistency (ω < 0.70). OFER scores were found to be positively correlated with FAS scores, supporting its convergent validity. Conclusions: The OFER was factorially invariant across gender. Overall, our findings provided evidence for the satisfactory psychometric properties of the OFER among Italian workers, confirming its value for use in both practical occupational and academic research settings.