AIMSS Mobbing Scale

Abstract

The AIMSS Mobbing (M) Scale, published by Sümer et al. in 2024, is an 18-item psychometric instrument designed to assess systematic hostile and unethical communication, specifically targeting nonsexual abusive workplace behavior or harassment. The development of the scale was grounded in qualitative research, including initial focus groups and thematic analysis, followed by a pilot study.

The final AIMSS M Scale underwent rigorous psychometric evaluation, including factor analysis, reliability testing, and validity testing, utilizing data collected from Turkish working adult samples recruited online. The scale aims to provide a reliable measure of Workplace Mistreatment, demonstrating strong internal consistency and robust construct validity.

Keywords

Harassment, Mobbing, Workplace Mistreatment, Organizational Behavior, Psychometric Assessment, Counterproductive Work Behavior, Employee Well-Being, Organizational Commitment

Authors

Sümer, H. Canan, Göncü-Köse, Aslı, Toker-Gültaş, Yonca, Acar, F. Pınar, Karanfil, Derya, Ok, A. Başak

Purpose

The fundamental purpose of the AIMSS Mobbing Scale is to quantify the experience of nonsexual abusive workplace behavior. This behavior is precisely characterized by systematic, hostile, and unethical communication patterns directed toward an individual employee within the organizational setting.

By measuring the frequency with which individuals encounter these behaviors over the preceding year, the scale serves as a critical tool for identifying and monitoring detrimental work environments, contributing to research on organizational health and the negative impacts of persistent psychological aggression.

Construct

The scale measures the construct of Workplace Mistreatment (WM), specifically focusing on the severe and systematic dimension known as mobbing. Mobbing is conceptualized as prolonged, escalating forms of psychological harassment where a victim is repeatedly exposed to negative actions by one or more perpetrators.

The 18 items are designed to cover the breadth of mobbing behaviors, which typically involve actions related to undermining professional standing, reputation damage, social exclusion, manipulation of work conditions, and explicit attempts to force the employee out of the job.

Validity

The AIMSS Mobbing Scale demonstrated strong evidence of both construct and criterion validity during its development, confirming its ability to measure the intended psychological phenomena accurately.

Convergent Construct Validity: The scale showed expected correlations with a widely used counterpart measure of workplace harassment, supporting its conceptual alignment. Furthermore, it successfully established discriminant validity by distinguishing itself statistically from separate, author-created measures of related constructs, ensuring it measures mobbing uniquely.

Criterion Validity: This form of validity was established through the scale’s predictive capacity regarding crucial organizational outcomes. Scores on the AIMSS M Scale were significantly associated with adverse psychological states, such as burnout, and lower levels of employee dedication, represented by reduced organizational commitment.

Reliability

The reliability of the AIMSS Mobbing Scale was assessed primarily through internal consistency, confirming that the items are highly correlated and measure the same underlying construct.

The initial sample yielded a robust Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.96. This exceptionally high value indicates excellent internal consistency, suggesting that the 18 items function cohesively as a single measure of experienced workplace mistreatment.

Factor Analysis

The factor structure of the AIMSS Mobbing Scale was investigated using both exploratory and confirmatory techniques, consistently supporting a unidimensional structure.

Principal Component Analysis (PCA): The PCA confirmed a single-factor solution, which accounted for a substantial 53.4% of the total variance in the item responses. The factor loadings for the items were strong, ranging from 0.56 to 0.84, reinforcing the notion that the scale measures a single, cohesive construct.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA): The single-factor model demonstrated an acceptable fit to the data, further validating the structure. Key fit indices were reported as follows: SB χ²(135) = 290.587 (p < 0.001), χ²/df = 2.15, CFI = 0.885, TLI = 0.870, RMSEA = 0.050 (with a 90% CI of 0.042, 0.058), and SRMR = 0.060. Item loadings in the CFA analysis ranged from 0.60 to 0.83, providing strong statistical support for the use of the AIMSS M Scale as a measure of a single mobbing factor.

Instrument

Test Type: Original

Format: The instrument is an 18-item rating scale where participants use a 5-point frequency scale to report how often they experienced each behavior in the past year. The response anchors range from 1 = Never to 5 = Almost every day. The administration method is Electronic.

Language Available: Turkish

Population Group: Human (Male and Female)

Age Group: Adulthood (18 yrs & older)

Population Details: Working Adults located in Turkey.

Test Methodology: Test Validity, Construct Validity, Convergent Validity, Criterion Validity, Test Reliability, Internal Consistency, Factor Analysis, Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Principal Component Analysis

Keywords

Employee Interaction, Counterproductive Work Behavior, Employee Relations, Workplace Harassment, Workplace Health and Well-Being Measures, Internal Consistency, Psychometrics, Job Stress, Statistical Modeling

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Yonca Toker-Gültaş: ORCID

Affiliation Email addresses: H. Canan Sümer: [email protected]

Correspondence Address: H. Canan Sümer, Özyeğin University, Department of Psychology, İstanbul, Turkey, [email protected]

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale was developed and published in 2024. The scale is categorized under Organizational, Occupational, and Career Development measures. There are no files available for direct download. All inquiries regarding usage permissions or fees should be directed to the corresponding author listed above.

Reference’s

• Sümer, H. C., Göncü-Köse, A., Toker-Gültaş, Y., Acar, F. P., Karanfil, D., & Ok, A. B. (2024). Incivility, mobbing, and abusive supervision: A tripartite scale development study. The Journal of Psychology: Interdisciplinary and Applied, 158(6), 428–457. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.2024.2321881

Items of the AIMSS Mobbing Scale

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. Mistakes were sought after in my work.
2. I was intimidated with aggressive behaviors.
3. I was subjected to behaviors that harmed my reputation.
4. My work was underestimated.
5. My ideas were devalued.
6. I was prevented from communicating with other employees.
7. I was put under pressure by being compared to other employees concerning my performance.
8. My performance was evaluated lower than I deserved.
9. I was subjected to double standards in work-related decisions and practices.
10. I was pressured to quit my job.
11. I was made fun of.
12. I was excluded from social circles at work.
13. I was subjected to insults and humiliation regarding my personality, preferences, and private life.
14. I was threatened with getting fired or sent to an unwanted unit.
15. I was prevented from using corporate resources.
16. I was expected to do more work than anyone else.
17. I was given tasks far below my qualifications.
18. My working conditions, hours, or shifts were changed in an arbitrary manner.