Work Stress Inventory – WSI
Measures organizational stress and job risk in the workplace.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Work Stress Inventory – WSI was developed by D. F. Barone, et al. (1988). It is designed to measure Work Stress. The scale is intended for use with Working adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 40 items organized into 2 factors/subscales: Organizational Stress, Job Risk.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Organizational Stress | 1,3,4,8,9,11,12,13,16,20,22,23,25,26,29,30,31,34,38,40 | 20 |
| Job Risk | 2,5,6,7,10,14,15,17,18,19,21,24,27,28,32,33,35,36,37,39 | 20 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 0 = None, 1 = A little, 2 = Moderate amount, 3 = Much, 4 = Very much.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 0 to 160. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Stress: 0 – 40
- Moderate Stress: 41 – 80
- High Stress: 81 – 120
- Very High Stress: 121 – 160
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of 0.91 – 0.94.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.