Measurement of precarious work in Brazil: translation, adaptation and dimensionality of the Employment Precariousness Scale (EPRES-Br).

This study analyzed the psychometric properties - acceptability, reliability, and factorial structure - of the Brazilian version of the Employment Precariousness Scale (EPRES-Br), applied to two samples of Brazilian workers: workers with diseases that have been notified compulsorily by the Brazilian Unified National Health System in Salvador and physical therapists in Bahia. Overall, 638 individuals with formal and informal work contracts answered the instrument. The acceptability, internal consistency, and dimensionality of the scale were evaluated using descriptive and analytical statistics, including factor analysis with methodology for categorical variables, appropriate to ordinal data and based on polychoric correlations. The EPRES-Br showed high acceptability (above 90%) and acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.77 for workers in Salvador and 0.84 for physical therapists). The dimensions Wages, Disempowerment and Vulnerability confirmed the theoretical construct, while Temporariness and Rights carried the same factor, and two items on time off carried outside the original theoretical dimension (Exercise Rights). It is concluded that EPRES-Br has good psychometric properties for use in epidemiological studies in Brazil, although revisions of some items are necessary, considering their meaning for the context of the world of work.