Affiliations: Mannheim Institute of Public Health, Social and
Preventive Medicine, Competence Center for Social Medicine and Occupational
Health Promotion, Mannheim Medical Faculty, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim,
Germany | Institute of Psychology, Department of Psychological
Aging Research, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany | Departments of Medicine, Epidemiology and
Biostatistics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Michael C. Gadinger, Mannheim
Institute of Public Health, Social and Preventive Medicine, Competence Center
for Social Medicine and Occupational Health Promotion, Mannheim Medical
Faculty, University of Heidelberg, Ludolf-Krehl-Strasse 7-11, 68167 Mannheim,
D-Germany. Tel.: +49 0 621 3839922; Fax: +49 0 621 3839920; E-mail:
[email protected]
Abstract: Objective: Brief, psychometrically robust questionnaires assessing
work-related psychosocial stressors are lacking. The purpose of the study is to
evaluate the psychometric properties of a brief new questionnaire for assessing
sources of work-related psychosocial stress. Participants: Managers, blue- and white-collar workers (n= 628 at
measurement point one, n=459 at measurement point two), sampled from an online
panel of a German marketing research institute. Methods: We either developed or identified appropriate items from
existing questionnaires for ten scales, which are conceptually based in work
stress models and reflected either work-related demands or resources. Factorial
structure was evaluated by confirmatory factor analyses (CFA). Scale
reliability was assessed by Cronbach's Alpha, and test-retest; correlations
with work-related efforts demonstrated convergent and discriminant validity for
the demand and resource scales, respectively. Scale correlations with health
indicators tested criterion validity. Results: All scales had satisfactory reliability (Cronbach's Alpha:
0.74–0.93, retest reliabilities: 0.66–0.81). CFA supported the
anticipated factorial structure. Significant correlations between job-related
efforts and demand scales (mean r=0.44) and non-significant correlations with
the resource scales (mean r=0.07) suggested good convergent and discriminant
validity, respectively. Scale correlations with health indicators demonstrated
good criterion validity. Conclusion: The WHC appears to be a brief, psychometrically robust
instrument for assessing work-related psychosocial stressors.
