International Journal of

ADVANCED AND APPLIED SCIENCES

EISSN: 2313-3724, Print ISSN: 2313-626X

Frequency: 12

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 Volume 12, Issue 7 (July 2025), Pages: 160-172

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 Original Research Paper

Psychometric properties of an instrument measuring military morale through work engagement and burnout in the Estonian defense forces

 Author(s): 

 Antek Kasemaa 1, 2, *, Ülle Säälik 3

 Affiliation(s):

  1Department of Leadership and Management Studies, Baltic Defence College, Tartu, Estonia
  2School of Natural Sciences and Health, Tallinn University, Tallinn, Estonia
  3Department of Academic Studies, Estonian Military Academy, Tartu, Estonia

 Full text

    Full Text - PDF

 * Corresponding Author. 

   Corresponding author's ORCID profile:  https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4073-3383

 Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2025.07.016

 Abstract

Military morale is commonly understood as the level of enthusiasm and commitment among soldiers that supports effective performance in military settings. One clear definition describes morale as a shared sense of dedication to a common goal that unifies a group. This study examines the psychometric properties of the Estonian version of a military morale instrument, conceptualizing morale in relation to burnout and work engagement. Three instruments were employed: a direct question on self-reported morale, a six-item scale assessing motivation and enthusiasm for mission accomplishment, and a multidimensional scale covering dedication, vigour, cynicism, and emotional exhaustion. Psychometric analysis focused on the multidimensional scale, using data from 3,621 members of the Estonian Defence Forces. Confirmatory Factor Analysis tested factorial structure and assessed configural, metric, and scalar invariance across groups based on age, gender, language, survey wave, profession, residence, student status, and education. Results indicated that both a modified four-factor model (dedication, vigour, cynicism, exhaustion) and a two-factor model (morale and burnout) fit the data well, with acceptable invariance across groups. However, the vigour and cynicism dimensions showed insufficient reliability in some subsamples. Therefore, the two-factor model is recommended for research and screening purposes in the Estonian military context, while the four-factor model requires further refinement before practical use.

 © 2025 The Authors. Published by IASE.

 This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

 Keywords

 Military morale, Burnout, Work engagement, Validation, Estonia

 Article history

 Received 12 January 2025, Received in revised form 21 June 2025, Accepted 23 June 2025

 Acknowledgment

No Acknowledgment. 

 Compliance with ethical standards

 Ethical considerations

Participation in this study was voluntary, and informed consent was obtained from all participants. Anonymity and confidentiality of participant data were strictly maintained throughout the research process.

 Conflict of interest: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

 Citation:

 Kasemaa A and Säälik Ü (2025). Psychometric properties of an instrument measuring military morale through work engagement and burnout in the Estonian defense forces. International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 12(7): 160-172

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 Figures

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 Tables

  Table 1  Table 2  Table 3  Table 4  Table 5  Table 6  Table 7 

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