Perceived Job Stressors Scale

Abstract

The Perceived Job Stressors scale was originally developed by Kanner, Kafry, and Pines in 1978. This measure distinguishes itself from many traditional occupational stress inventories by assessing stressors derived from two distinct sources: the presence of negative working conditions and the cumulative absence of positive experiences in daily life, which is closely linked to the concept of tedium.

The scale initially contained 31 items, split into 17 positive conditions and 14 negative stressors, requiring employees to report the frequency of their experience. A subsequent refinement by Etzion et al. (1998) reduced the scale to 23 items (11 positive and 12 negative). After appropriate reverse scoring of the positive items, all items are combined to form a single, unified measure of overall perceived job stress.

Keywords

Job Stressors, Occupational Stress, Tedium, Emotional Exhaustion, Work Environment, Stress Measurement, Positive Conditions, Negative Conditions.

Authors

Kanner, A., Kafry, D., Pines, A.

[quads id=5]

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Perceived Job Stressors scale is to quantify the frequency with which employees encounter specific positive and negative events, conditions, and demands within their work and personal lives. It is designed to capture a comprehensive picture of psychological strain that results from both overwhelming demands and crucial resource deficits.

By integrating both sets of items, the measure provides a robust tool for researchers and practitioners aiming to understand how the simultaneous occurrence of daily hassles and the lack of positive reinforcement contribute synergistically to emotional and attitudinal exhaustion, a state the authors define as tedium.

Construct

The core construct measured is Perceived Job Stressors, which is defined as a multidimensional experience of strain rooted in the employee’s subjective assessment of their environment. This construct encompasses two theoretically distinct but empirically combined dimensions.

The first dimension addresses traditional negative stressors, such as role overload, conflicting demands, and bureaucratic interference. The second dimension, central to the scale’s originality, focuses on the lack of positive conditions (e.g., absence of autonomy, appreciation, or meaningful feedback). The final, combined score represents the overall level of perceived psychological strain experienced in the occupational setting, acknowledging that the absence of positive features is as salient a source of stress as the presence of negative features.

Validity

Evidence for the validity of the Perceived Job Stressors scale demonstrates strong theoretical coherence with established outcomes in organizational psychology. The overall measure of job stressors showed a significant positive correlation with measures of burnout, confirming its ability to capture psychological strain (Etzion et al., 1998; Melamed et al., 1991).

Furthermore, the scale exhibited expected negative correlations with protective resources. High levels of perceived job stressors were negatively correlated with the availability of social support, the employee’s perceived control at work, and the subjective quality of the overall job experience. These associations lend support to the construct validity of the scale as a measure of environmental strain and resource depletion.

Reliability

The internal consistency of the Perceived Job Stressors scale has been evaluated using Coefficient Alpha, indicating acceptable to good reliability across various studies and samples, particularly for the combined measure of job stress.

Reported Coefficient Alpha values for the composite scale ranged from .72 to .84 (Etzion et al., 1998; Melamed et al., 1991). These figures confirm that the items within the scale consistently measure the underlying construct of perceived psychological strain and are suitable for use in academic and organizational research.

Factor Analysis

While the scale yields a single, unified score for perceived job stress, its theoretical basis is bifactorial, distinguishing between the presence of negative conditions and the lack of positive conditions. The original 31-item structure inherently separates these two domains (14 negative stressors and 17 positive conditions).

The revised 23-item version utilized in subsequent research (Etzion et al., 1998) maintains this theoretical distinction during item collection, although the final measurement involves reverse-scoring the positive items and combining them with the negative items to create one cumulative index. This methodology suggests that the primary factor of interest is the overall level of psychological strain, regardless of whether it originates from demands or deficits.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report inventory

Format: Multi-item questionnaire (Original: 31 items; Revised: 23 items)

Language Available: English (Original)

Population Group: Working adults and employees

Age Group: Adults (typically 18 years and older)

Population Details: Applicable across various organizational and occupational settings where job stress and tedium are relevant constructs.

Test Methodology: Responses are collected using a 7-point Likert-type scale, requiring respondents to indicate the frequency with which they experience each specific work or life event. The anchors range from 1 = very infrequently to 7 = very frequently.

Keywords

Tedium, Burnout, Organizational Psychology, Scale Development, Reliability, Validity, Likert Scale, Job Demands, Resource Deficits.

[quads id=5]

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A

Correspondence Address: N/A

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Perceived Job Stressors scale was first published in 1978. Items were reprinted with permission from the Helen Dwight Reid Educational Foundation and Heldref Publications, who held the copyright in 1978. Researchers intending to use the scale must secure permission directly from the current copyright holders or publishers to ensure compliance with licensing requirements and potential fees.

Reference’s

• Kanner, A., Kafry, D., & Pines, A. (1978). Conspicuous in its absence: The lack of positive conditions as a source of stress. Journal of Human Stress, 4, 33-39.
• Etzion, D., Pines, A., & Melamed, S. (1998). [Reference used for 23-item reduction and reliability/validity data].
• Melamed, S., Ben-Avi, I., Luz, J., & Green, M. S. (1991). [Reference used for reliability/validity data].

[quads id=5]

Items of the Perceived Job Stressors scale

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

Responses are obtained on a 7-point Likert-type scale where 1 = very infre­quently, 2 = infrequently, 3 = somewhat infrequently, 4 = neither, 5 = some­what frequently, 6 = frequently, and 7 = very frequently. Respondents are asked to indicate how frequently they experience these life events.

Lack of positive work and life items:

1. Variety
2. Complexity
3. Autonomy
4. Significance
5. Success
6. Feedback
7. Self-expression
8. Self-actualization
9. Policy influence
10. Tangible rewards
11. Appreciation
12. Opportunity to take time off
13. Personal relations
14. Unconditional support
15. Sharing
16. Emotional reciprocity
17. Comfortable environment

Negative work and life items:

1. Negative consequences
2. Demands for innovation.
3. Under-load
4. Overload
5. Demands for proving oneself.
6. Decision load
7. Physical danger
8. Environmental pressures
9. Bureaucratic interference
10. Administrative hassles
11. Experience of guilt
12. Emotional overextension
13. Overextension of commitments and deadlines
14. Conflicting demands from other people