The short form effort-reward imbalance: measure of occupational stress for firefighters.

Details

• Personal Author:
  Chin DL ; Hong O ; Kyung M ; Li J ; Phelps S
• Description:
  Purpose: The original effort-reward imbalance (ERI) questionnaire has been widely used as a measure of occupational stress. The need for brief measurement of psychosocial stress at work has risen. This study examined the psychometric properties of a 16-item short form ERI (S-ERI) questionnaire. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with a convenience sample of 247 career firefighters in the United States. An internet-based survey contained the S-ERI questionnaire, and assessed perceived health, demographics, and work characteristics. Internal consistency was tested by item-total correlation and Cronbach's alpha coefficients. Factorial validity was assessed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and criterion validity was examined by testing the S-ERI's association with perceived health, controlling for other factors. Results: The study participants were primarily young and mid-aged White males (mean age = 42 years, 75% White non-Hispanic, 93% males). The S-ERI questionnaire showed satisfactory internal consistency, with Cronbach a coefficients above 0.80 for all three scales: effort 0.82, reward 0.83, and overcommitment 0.81. CFA showed all the S-ERI components had a good fit (goodness-of-fit index = 0.99, comparative fit index = 0.92, root mean square error of approximation = 0.06). In terms of criterion validity, significantly increased odds ratios (ORs) for perceived health (those indicating they were less healthy) were found in firefighters in the lowest tertile of reward (OR = 7.06, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.86-17.43), and highest tertile of overcommitment (OR = 2.29, 95% CI: 1.00-5.22), after controlling for other factors. Conclusion: The S-ERI questionnaire is a reliable and valid measure to assess occupational stress. We recommend the use of S-ERI as a measure of occupational stress when initiating efforts to improve firefighters' wellness. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Demography Firefighters Occupational Health Safety Surveys And Questionnaires Workplace
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Effort-reward Imbalance; Firefighter; Occupational Stress; Psychometric Properties Fire Fighters; Stress; Questionnaires; Psychosocial Factors; Work Environment; Worker Health; Demographic Characteristics;
• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  492-499
• Volume:
  65
• Issue:
  6
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20064970
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 2022 Jun; 65(6):492-499
• Contact Point Address:
  OiSaeng Hong, RN, PhD, FAAN, FAAOHN, Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing Graduate Program, School of Nursing, University of California San Francisco (UCSF), 2 Koret Way, Room N 531D, San Francisco, CA 94143-0608, USA
• Email:
  oisaeng.hong@nursing.ucsf.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2022
• Performing Organization:
  University of California, Berkeley
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:3a25059b059447d291480f1414d1c88e1285861b262d202794a324568740a75a19c51a9a65d8b96206c30042d55d60a0e6f121468e148b195a4f8eff112c86ce
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/249290/cdc_249290_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 674.63 KB ]