Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Work Limitations Questionnaire (WLQ-25) in Workers’ Compensation Claimants with Chronic Upper-Limb Disorders Kenneth Tang • Dorcas E. Beaton • Benjamin C. Amick III • Sheilah Hogg-Johnson • Pierre Co ˆte ´ • Patrick Loisel Published online: 2 November 2012 Ó Springer Science+Business Media New York 2012 Abstract Purpose: To examine the factorial validity of the Work Limitations Questionnaire (WLQ-25) among workers’ compensation claimants with chronic upper-limb disorders. Methods: Attendees of the WSIB Shoulder and Elbow Specialty clinic in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, com- pleted a survey that includes the WLQ-25 [4 subscales: time-management (TM), physical demands (PD), mental- interpersonal (MI), and output demands (OD)]. Confirma- tory factor analyses (n = 2262) were conducted to evaluate and compare alternative 4- and 5-factor WLQ-25 structures [MI subscale intact vs. separated into mental demands (MD) and interpersonal demands (IP) subscales]. Model fit indices, saliency of factor loadings, and convergent/diver- gent validity of latent factors (r = 0.4 - 0.85 expected) were concurrently assessed. Results: The 4-factor WLQ-25 showed acceptable model fit after allowing the residuals of a pair of PD items to correlate (CFI = 0.924, TLI = 0.915, RMSEA = 0.057, SRMR = 0.054); however, significantly lower-than-expected correlations between the PD factor and all other factors (r =-0.11 – -0.03) were also observed. Model fit for the 5-factor WLQ-25 was even more optimal (CFI = 0.934, TLI = 0.925, RMSEA = 0.053, SRMR = 0.051), with MD and IP factors correlat- ing at r = 0.83. Conclusions: Evidence of factorial validity was demonstrated by the WLQ-25; however, users should be attentive of an instrumentation issue that could be directly related to the psychometric performance of its PD subscale. Keywords Factor analysis Á Presenteeism Á Psychometric Á Work limitation Á Upper-extremity Á Validity Introduction Upper-extremity injuries are common in the workplace, and a significant cause of work disability [1–3]. Annually, work-related upper-limb disorders account for approxi- mately 20 % of all workers’ compensation claims in Ontario [4], and similar incidence rates are found in other Canadian provinces and also in the US [1–3, 5]. In addition to contributing to work absenteeism, residual and re-occurring pain episodes can occur long after initial return-to-work K. Tang Á D. E. Beaton Á S. Hogg-Johnson Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada K. Tang (&) Á D. E. Beaton Mobility Program Clinical Research Unit, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael’s Hospital, 30 Bond Street, Toronto, ON, Canada e-mail: ken.tang@mail.utoronto.ca K. Tang Á D. E. Beaton Á B. C. Amick III Á S. Hogg-Johnson Institute for Work and Health, Toronto, ON, Canada B. C. Amick III Behavioral Sciences, Epidemiology and Occupational Safety and Health, School of Public Health, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA S. Hogg-Johnson Á P. Co ˆte ´ Á P. Loisel Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada P. Co ˆte ´ Division of Health Care and Outcomes Research, Toronto Western Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada P. Loisel Division of Orthopaedics, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada 123 J Occup Rehabil (2013) 23:228–238 DOI 10.1007/s10926-012-9397-6