Top

International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health

Published in:

01-10-2008 | Review

Available instruments for measurement of psychosocial factors in the work environment

Authors: Maria Carla Tabanelli, Marco Depolo, Robin M. T. Cooke, Guido Sarchielli, Roberta Bonfiglioli, Stefano Mattioli, Francesco S. Violante

Published in: International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health | Issue 1/2008

Abstract

Objective

To provide an overview of the spectrum of available for measurement and evaluation of work-related psychosocial factors.

Methods

We systematically searched the literature/internet to identify and describe the main available questionnaires and observational instruments for assessment of work-related psychosocial factors (with/without other job stressors).

Results

A total of 33 instruments were identified (26 questionnaires, 7 observational), many (11 questionnaires, 5 observational) linked to national institutions/intiatives. Accessibility of relevant information (on the internet or elsewhere) regarding the instruments varied widely.

Conclusions

This summary of the range of instruments currently available for evaluation of multiple work stressors at individual, group and/or organizational levels may provide a useful tool for operators and researchers.

Avallone F, Paplomatas A (2005) Salute Organizzativa. Psicologia del benessere nei contesti di lavoro. 1st edn. Raffaello Cortina Editore, Milan

Belkic K (2000) The Occupational Stress Index. An introduction. Job Stress Network [home page on the Internet]. Available from: http://www.workhealth.org/OSI%20Index/OSI%20Introduction.html

Conseil National du Travail (CNT) (2004) La prevention du stress, Convention collective de travail n. 72 [monograph on the internet]. Available from: http://www.cnt-nar.be/DOC-DIVERS/Stress/Prévention%20du%20stress-2004.PDF

Cooper CL, Sloan SJ, Williams JS (1988) Occupational stress indicator management guide. NFER-Nelson, Windsor

Cox T, Mackay CJ (1981) A transactional approach to occupational stress. In: Corlett EN, Richardson J (eds) Stress, work design and productivity. Wiley, Chichester

Cox T, Rial-González E (2005) Work-related stress: the European picture. Work-related stress is a strong negative emotional reaction to work. In: Working on stress Magazines 5 [serial on the internet]. Available from: http://osha.europa.eu/publications/magazine/5

D’Hertefelt H (2002) Measuring psychosocial workload in Belgium. TUTB Newsl (19–20):39–44

De Keyser V, Hansez I (1996) Vers une perspective transactionnelle du stress au travail: pistes d’évaluations méthodologiques. Cahiers de Médecine du Travail 33(3):133–144

Delaunois M, Malchaire J, Piette A (2002) Classification des méthodes d’évaluation du stress en entreprise. Médecine du Travail & Ergonomie 39(1):13–28

Elo AL, Leppanen A, Jankola A (2003) Validity of single-item measures of stress symptoms. Scand J Work Environ Health 29(6):444–451PubMed

Elo AL, Leppanen A, Sillanpaa P (1998) Applicability of survey feedback for an occupational health method in stress management. Occup Med 48(3):181–188CrossRef

Fédération Générale du Travail de Belgique (FGTB) (2002) Stress agir pour le bien-être au travail [brochure on the internet]. Available from: http://www.fgtb.be/CODE/fr/Documents/2002/stress/c15_10e10Idx.htm

French JRP, Caplan RD, van Harrison R (1982) The mechanisms of job stress and strain. Wiley, New York

Frese M, Zapf D (1988) Methodological issue in the study of work stress: Objective vs. subjective measurement of work stress and the question of longitudinal studies. In: Cooper CL, Payne R (eds) Causes, coping and consequences of stress at work. Wiley, New York, pp 375–411

Hackman JR, Oldham (1975) Development of the job diagnostic survey. J Applied Psychol 60(2):159–170CrossRef

Hurrell JJ, McLaney MA (1988) Exposure to Job Stress: A new psychometric instrument’. Scand J Work Environ Health 14(1):27–28PubMed

Hurrell JJ Jr, Nelson DL, Simmons BL (1998) Measuring job stressors and strains: where we have been, where we are, and where we need to go. J Occup Health Psychol 3(4):368–389PubMedCrossRef

Huys R, De Rick K, Vandenbrande T (2005) Enhancing learning opportunities at work. [mongraph on the internet]. Available from: http://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/2010/studies/enhance05_en.pdf

Ivancevich JM, Napier HA, Wetherbe JC (1983) Stress in the Information Systems Professional. [mongraph on the internet]. Available from: http://delivery.acm.org/10.1145/810000/800620/p57-ivancevich.pdf?key1=800620&key2=9920451711&coll=&dl=ACM&CFID=15151515&CFTOKEN=6184618

Johnson JV, Hall EM, Stewart W, Fredlund P, Theorell T (1991) Combined exposure do adverse work organisation factors and cardiovascular disease: towards a life-course perspective. In: Fechter LD (ed) Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on the combined effects of environmental factors. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore

Karasek RA (1979) Job demands, job decision latitude and mental strain: implications for job redesign. Adm Sci Q 24:285–308CrossRef

Karasek R, Brisson C, Kawakami N, Houtman I, Bongers P, Amick B (1998) The job content questionnaire (JCQ): an instrument for internationally comparative assessments of psychosocial job characteristics. J Occup Health Psychol 3(4):322–355PubMedCrossRef

Kasl SV (1987) Methodologies in stress and health: past difficulties, present dilemma, future directions. In: Kasl SV, Cooper CL (eds) Stress and health: issues in research methodology. Wiley, New York, pp 307–318

Kasl SV (1998) Measuring job stressors and studying the health impact of the work environment: an epidemiologic commentary. J Occup Health Psychol 3(4):390–401PubMedCrossRef

Kompier M (2005) Assessing the psychosocial work environment—”subjective” versus “objective” measurement [editorial]. Scand J Work Environ Health 31(6):405–408PubMed

Kristensen TS (1995) The demand-control-support model: methodological challenges for future research. Stress Med 11:17–26CrossRef

Kristensen TS, Hannerz H, Høgh A, Borg V (2005) The Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire—a tool for the assessment and improvement of the psychosocial work environment. Scand J Work Environ Health 31(6):438–449PubMed

Landsbergis P, Theorell T (2000) Measurement of psychosocial workplace exposure variables. In: Schnall P, Belkic K, Landbergis P, Baker D (eds) The workplace and cardiovascular disease. Publ. Hanley Belfus, Inc. pp 163–171

Lazarus RS, Folkman S (1984) Stress, appraisal and coping. Springer, New York

Leitner K, Resch MG (2005) Do the effects of job stressors on health persist over time? A longitudinal study with observational stressor measures. J Occup Health Psychol 10(1):18–30PubMedCrossRef

Levi L, Sauter SL, Shimomotsu T (1999) Work-related stress—it’s time to act. J Occup Health Psychol 4(4):394–396PubMedCrossRef

Lindstrom K (2002) Nordic method for measuring psychosocial and social factors at work. TUTB Newsl (19–20):48–49

McCormick EJ, Jeanneret PR, Mecham RC (1972) A study of job characteristics and job dimensions as based on the position analysis questionnaire (PAQ). J Appl Psychol 56(4):347–368CrossRef

Moos RH (1981) Work environment scale manual. Consulting Psychologists Press, Palo Alto

Murphy LR, Schoenborn TF (eds) (1987) Stress management in work settings. [monograph on the internet]. DHHS (NIOSH); Publication No. 87-111. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/87-111.html

Organization of Work Team Members (NORA) (2002) The changing organization of work and the safety and health of working people: knowledge gaps an research directions. [monograph on the internet]. Cincinnati: NIOSH. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/pdfs/02-116.pdf

Osipow SH (1992) Occupational stress inventory. Psychological Assessment Resources, Odessa

Peter RA, Morvan O, Morvan E, (eds) (2004) European ways to combat psychosocial risks related to work organisation: towards organisational interventions? [monograph on the internet]. TNO Work and Employment/PEROSH. Available from: http://tno-arbeid.adlibsoft.com/adlib/docs/Perosh-2004.pdf

Polanyi M, Tompa E (2004) Rethinking work-health models for the new global economy: a qualitative analysis of emerging dimensions of work. Work 23(1):3–18PubMed

PREVENT (2005) [homepage on the internet]. Mesurer le stress au travail (la pratique). 2005. Available from: http://fr.prevent.be/net/net01.nsf/p/75A18BC6C4EFD97AC1256AC00045EADF

Quick JC (1998) Introduction to the measurement of stress at work. J Occup Health Psychol 3(4):291–293PubMedCrossRef

Rick J, Briner RB, Daniels K, Perryman S, Guppy A (2001) A critical review of psychosocial hazard measures, Contract research report 356/2001 [monograph on the internet]. HSE Books. Available from: http://www.hse.gov.uk/RESEARCH/crr_htm/2001/crr01356.htm

Rosenstock L (1997) Work organization research at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. J Occup Health Psychol 2(1):7–10PubMedCrossRef

Schaufeli WB, Kompier M (2001) Managing job stress in the Netherlands. Int J Stress Manage 8:15–34CrossRef

Setterlind S, Larson G (1995) The stress profile—a psychosocial approach to measuring stress. Stress Med 11(2):85–92CrossRef

Siegrist J (1990) Chronischer Distress und koronares Risiko: Neue Erkenntnisse und ihre Bedeutung für die Pravention. In: Arnold M, v. Ferber C, Henke K.D (Hrsg.) Ökonomie der Prävention. Bleicher, Gerlingen

Siegrist J, Starke D, Chandola T et al (2004) The measurement of effort–reward imbalance at work: European comparisons. Soc Sci Med 58(8):1483–1499PubMedCrossRef

Sims HP, Szilagyi AD, Keller RT (1976) The measurement of job characteristics. Acad Manage J 19:195–212PubMedCrossRef

Theorell T, Hasselhorn HM (2005) On cross-sectional questionnaire studies of relantionships between psychosocial conditions at work and health—are they reliable? Int Arch Occup Environ Health 78:517–522PubMedCrossRef

Vagg PR, Spielberger CD (1999) The job stress survey: assessing perceived severity and frequency of occurrence of generic sources of stress in the workplace. J Occup Health Psychol 4(3):288–292PubMedCrossRef

Van Veldhoven M, Broersen S (2003) Measurement quality and validity of the “need for recovery scale”. Occup Environ Med 60:3–9CrossRef

Widerszal-Bazyl M, Cieslak R (2000) Monitoring psychosocial stress at work: development of the Psychosocial Working Conditions Questionnaire. Int J Occup Saf Ergon (Spec):59–70

Wiezer N, Nelemans R (2005) Tripod Sigma: an instrument for pro-active stress management. Occup Health Psychol [serial on the Internet] 2(3):15–17. Available from: http://www.ea-ohp.org/downloads/The_Occupational_Health_Psychologist_Vol_2_Issue_3.pdf

Williams JS, Cooper CL (1998) Measuring occupational stress: development of the pressure management indicator. J Occup Health Psychol 3(4):306–321

Wrighy TA, Cropanzano R (2000) The role of organizational behavior in occupational health psychology: a view as we approach the millennium. J Occup Health Psychol 5(1):5–10

Title: Available instruments for measurement of psychosocial factors in the work environment
Authors: Maria Carla Tabanelli
Marco Depolo
Robin M. T. Cooke
Guido Sarchielli
Roberta Bonfiglioli
Stefano Mattioli
Francesco S. Violante
Publication date: 01-10-2008
Publisher: Springer-Verlag
Published in: International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health / Issue 1/2008
Print ISSN: 0340-0131
Electronic ISSN: 1432-1246
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-008-0312-6

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Available instruments for measurement of psychosocial factors in the work environment

Abstract

Objective

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Objective

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Please log in to get access to this content

Other articles of this Issue 1/2008

The role of illness perceptions in labor participation of the chronically ill

Effect of an EBM course in combination with case method learning sessions: an RCT on professional performance, job satisfaction, and self-efficacy of occupational physicians

Parameters influencing health variables in a sample of 949 German teachers

Unemployment and retirement and ill-health: a cross-sectional analysis across European countries

Occupational stress and depression in Korean employees

Factors on working conditions and prolonged fatigue among physicians in Japan