Work-Related Depression, Anxiety, and Irritation Scale
Measures three dimensions of employee stress and strain: work-related depression, anxiety, and irritation.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Work-Related Depression, Anxiety, and Irritation Scale was developed by Caplan, R. D., Cobb, S., French, J. R. P., Van Harrison, R., & Pinneau, S. R. (1980). It is designed to measure Work-related stress and strain. The scale is intended for use with Working adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 13 items organized into 3 factors/subscales: Depression, Irritation, Anxiety.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Depression | 1,2,3,4,5,6 | 6 |
| Irritation | 7,8,9 | 3 |
| Anxiety | 10,11,12,13 | 4 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = never or a little of the time, 2 = some of the time, 3 = a good part of the time, 4 = most of the time.
The scale includes 3 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 13 to 52. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low stress/strain: 13 – 26
- Moderate stress/strain: 27 – 39
- High stress/strain: 40 – 52
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Alpha values ranged from .81 to .86.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 3 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.