Swedish Demand-Control-Support Questionnaire (DCSQ)
Measures psychosocial work environment characteristics across three dimensions: psychological demands, decision latitude, and social support.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Swedish Demand-Control-Support Questionnaire (DCSQ) was developed by Sanne, B., Torp, S., Mykletun, A., & Dahl, A.A. (based on Karasek’s Job Content Questionnaire) (2005). It is designed to measure Psychosocial work characteristics. The scale is intended for use with Working adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 16 items organized into 3 factors/subscales: Psychological demands, Decision latitude, Social support.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Psychological demands | 1,2,3,4,5 | 5 |
| Decision latitude | 6,7,8,9,10 | 5 |
| Social support | 11,12,13,14,15,16 | 6 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Never or hardly, 2 = Occasionally, 3 = Sometimes, 4 = Often.
The scale includes 2 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Cronbach's alpha typically ranges from 0.70 to 0.85 across subscales.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.