Differentiation of Self in Work Relationships Scale (DS-WRS)

Abstract

The Differentiation of Self in Work Relationships Scale (DS-WRS), developed by Yavuz Güler in 2022, is a measurement tool designed to assess an individual’s differentiation of self within work relationships, grounded in the Bowen family systems theory (Bowen, 1976, 1978). The scale’s development began with a review of literature on differentiation of self (Drake et al., 2015; Haber, 1993; Skowron & Friendler, 1998) and relevant work-life measurement tools (Cavaiola et al., 2012), leading to an initial pool of 20 items. This preliminary version was administered to a sample of employed individuals aged 20 and older, selected through appropriate sampling methods. Factor analysis subsequently refined the scale to 18 items across four distinct dimensions. The development process included comprehensive reporting on the scale’s reliability, validity, and measurement invariance across gender and work position.

Keywords

Fusion with Others; Emotional Reactivity; Emotional Cutoff; I Position; Bowen Family Systems Theory; Differentiation of Self; Work Relationships

Authors

Güler, Çiğdem Yavuz

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Purpose

The DS-WRS is specifically designed to assess the concept of differentiation of self as it manifests within work relationships.

Validity

Construct Validity: The structural validity of the measure is supported by the results of the factor analysis.

Convergent Validity:

• The Emotional Reactivity (ER) subdimension (r = − .420, p < .01), Fusion with others (FO) subdimension (r = − .201, p < .01), I Position subdimension (r = − .150, p < .01), and the total DS-WRS score (r = − .406, p < .01) all showed a negative association with burnout.

• The I Position subdimension (r = .160, p < .01) and the total DS-WRS score (r = .117, p < .05) demonstrated a positive association with job satisfaction.

• The Emotional Cutoff (EC) subdimension (r = .250, p < .01), ER subdimension (r = .348, p < .01), FO subdimension (r = .526, p < .01), I Position subdimension (r = .212, p < .01), and the total score (r = .635, p < .01) of DSI-SF were all positively related, indicating convergent validity with a related scale.

Reliability

Internal Consistency: The Cronbach’s alpha for the total DS-WRS score was 0.61, while the subscales ranged from 0.60 to 0.75.

Test-Retest Reliability: Over a 2-week interval, test-retest correlation values ranged from 0.75 to 0.84, which were statistically significant and indicative of the scale’s reliability.

Factor Analysis

Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis: Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) revealed a four-factor structure for the DS-WRS, which collectively accounted for 50.35% of the total variance, with an eigenvalue of 3.52. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) indicated a sufficient fit between the model and the data, with the following fit indices: χ2 = 303.00, Sd = 129, p < .001, CFI = 0.92, IFI = 0.92, GFI = 0.91, RMSEA = 0.063, with a 90% Confidence Interval for RMSEA of 0.053–0.072.

Measurement Invariance: Measurement invariance was assessed across gender and work position, indicating variance across these groups (χ2/Df = 2.35, RMSEA = 0.063).

Instrument: Differentiation of Self in Work Relationships Scale (DS-WRS)

Test Type: Original
Format: Items are rated using a 6-point Likert scale, ranging from “1 = Does not reflect me at all” to “6 = Highly reflects me.”
Language Available: English; Turkish
Population Group: Human (Male; Female)
Age Group: Adulthood (18 years and older); Young Adulthood (18-29 years)
Population Details: The respondents were employed adults located in Turkey.
Test Methodology: The methodology included Test Validity, Construct Validity, Convergent Validity, Test Reliability, Internal Consistency, Test-Retest Reliability, Factor Analysis, Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Exploratory Factor Analysis, and Measurement Invariance.

Keywords

Emotional Responses; Employee Attitudes; Employee Interaction; Family Systems Theory; Intimacy; Self-Concept; Interpersonal Relationships; Organizational and Occupational Measures

Authors

Author: Güler, Çiğdem Yavuz
Author ORCID Identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1607-0789
Affiliation: Fatih Sultan Mehmet Vakıf University, Department of Psychological Counseling and Guidance, Faculty of Education
Email Addresses: [email protected]
Correspondence Address: Güler, Çiğdem Yavuz: Fatih Sultan Mehmet Vakıf University, Department of Psychological Counseling and Guidance, Faculty of Education, Valide‑i Atik, Kartalbaba St. No: 36/1 Uskudar, Istanbul, Turkey, [email protected]

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Permissions: Contact Corresponding Author
Fee: No
Test Year: 2023

References

Yavuz Güler, Ç. (2023). The Differentiation of Self in Work Relationships Scale (DS‑WRS): Development and initial validation. Contemporary Family Therapy: An International Journal, 45(1), 36–48. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-022-09643-8

Items of the Differentiation of Self in Work Relationships Scale (DS-WRS)

The Differentiation of Self in Work Relationships Scale (DS-WRS) comprises 18 items distributed across four factors or subscales:

• Fusion with others (FO)

• Emotional Reactivity (ER)

• Emotional Cutoff (EC)

• I Position

No data is Available regarding the specific content of the 18 items.