Juggling work with family, friends and rest is a daily challenge for many people, and poor balance has been linked to stress and ill health. To study this properly, researchers need short, reliable questionnaires in the language people speak. A new study has created and tested a Swedish version of a popular work-life balance scale.

Researchers at Umeå University, Södertörn University, Malmö University and the Karolinska Institutet translated a four-item scale first developed in Australia and New Zealand. The findings appear in BMC Psychology. The team then tested it with 215 students training for careers in the police and the prison and probation service.

The scale asks people how well their work and non-work activities fit together, rather than whether one interferes with the other. For students, work meant their studies. Translation followed international guidelines, with two forward translations, two back translations and interviews with eight Swedish speakers to check the wording.

The Swedish scale showed good internal consistency, meaning the four items measured the same idea well. The average score was about 3.9 out of 5. Analysis supported the original single factor structure.

One question stood out. The only negatively worded item performed less well than the other three, a pattern also seen in the original study. The researchers recommend keeping all four items for now, but treating that question with some caution.

The scale behaved as expected alongside other measures. Higher work-life balance was strongly linked to a broader sense of balance across everyday activities. It was also moderately linked to fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety.

About 16% of students gave the maximum possible score, suggesting the scale may find it harder to tell apart people who already have very good balance. Students may have more control over their time than full-time workers, which could explain this.

The study matters because Sweden lacked a short, validated measure of work-life balance. The new version could be used in large surveys on health, work ability and sustainable working lives, including among emergency and security staff.

The study has limits. The sample was small and limited to two types of students, and the survey was taken at one point in time. The researchers call for further testing with working adults in a wider range of jobs.

Work-life balance has become a central concern for employers and governments as more people report burnout and long hours. A simple, well tested Swedish questionnaire gives researchers a practical tool for tracking how balance changes over time and which groups need the most support.