Spanish Adaptation of the Career Commitment Scale: Psychometric Evidence and Associations with Stress and Health Across the Lifespan.

Introduction/

Objectives

In the context of Spain's persistently high job insecurity and evolving labor market, understanding how individuals sustain career engagement is critical. This study aimed to adapt and validate the Career Commitment Scale (CCS) for use in the Spanish population and examine its relationship with career adaptability, mental health, and stress across different age groups.

Methods

Using a sample of 418 participants, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the CCS's original three-factor structure, career identity, planning, and resilience, with satisfactory fit indices and strong reliability. Criterion-related validity was supported through significant positive correlations with career adaptability and negative associations with depression, anxiety, and stress. Test-retest analysis over a three-month interval showed moderate-to-strong temporal stability. Result: CFA confirmed the factor structure. A moderation analysis revealed that stress moderated the relationship between age and career resilience: older individuals demonstrated higher resilience under low stress conditions, but this benefit diminished under high stress exposure.

Conclusions

These findings highlight the relevance of career commitment as a multidimensional construct closely linked to mental well-being and adaptive functioning in uncertain labor markets. The validated CCS provides a reliable tool for research and practice, offering new insights into how career motivation interacts with age and psychological stress across the lifespan. This validation has meaningful implications for organizational practices, career counseling, and public policy, as career commitment can buffer against Spain's chronic unemployment and job precarity-particularly for younger workers and those in non-standard employment.