Stress Diagnostic Survey – SDS
Measures employee stress levels across six distinct work-related stressors: role ambiguity, role conflict, quantitative role overload, qualitative role overload, career development concerns, and responsibility for people.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Stress Diagnostic Survey – SDS was developed by John M. Ivancevich & Michael T. Matteson (1980). It is designed to measure Workplace stress. The scale is intended for use with Employees and working adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 30 items organized into 6 factors/subscales: Role ambiguity, Role conflict, Role overload-quantitative, Role overload-qualitative, Career development, Responsibility for people.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Role ambiguity | 1,7,13,19,25 | 5 |
| Role conflict | 2,8,14,20,26 | 5 |
| Role overload-quantitative | 3,9,15,21,27 | 5 |
| Role overload-qualitative | 4,10,16,22,28 | 5 |
| Career development | 5,11,17,23,29 | 5 |
| Responsibility for people | 6,12,18,24,30 | 5 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Never a source of stress, 2 = Rarely a source of stress, 3 = Occasionally a source of stress, 4 = Sometimes a source of stress, 5 = Often a source of stress, 6 = Usually a source of stress, 7 = Always a source of stress.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 5 to 35. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low stress level (per category): 5 – 9
- Moderate stress level (per category): 10 – 24
- High stress level (per category): 25 – 35
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Subscale alphas range from .68 to .85; composite alpha is .93.
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.