Table of Contents
Description
This measure (Perceived Job Stressors) was developed by Kanner, Kafry, and Pines (1978). Many job stress measures focus on the presence of negative conditions. However, work or life stress may also result from the cumulative absence of positive experiences in daily life. The daily hassles and problems may lead to tedium defined as emotional and attitudinal exhaustion (Kanner et al., 1978). This measure of perceived job stressors assesses both the lack of positive features in work and life, associated with tedium, and the presence of negative features, associated with stress. The measure asks employees to describe the frequency with which they experience 17 positive conditions and 14 negative stressors. In Etzion et al. (1998), the measure was reduced to 23 items (11 positive and 12 negative). After reverse scoring, the 23 negative and positive items were combined to form a single measure of job stress.
Reliability
Coefficient alpha values ranged from .72 to .84 (Etzion et al., 1998; Melamed et al., 1991).
Validity
Job stressors were positively correlated with burnout and negatively correlated with social support, perceived control at work, and quality of the job experience (Etzion et al., 1998; Melamed et al., 1991).
Source
Kanner, A., Kafry, D., & Pines, A. (1978) Conspicuous in its absence: The lack of positive conditions as a source of stress. Journal of Human Stress, 4, 33-39. Items were taken from text, p. 36. Reprinted with permission of the Helen Dwight Reid Educational Foundation. Published by Heldref Publications, 1319 Eighteenth St., NW, Washington, DC 20036-1802. Copyright © 1978.
Items
Responses are obtained on a 7-point Likert-type scale where 1 = very infrequently, 2 = infrequently, 3 = somewhat infrequently, 4 = neither, 5 = some what frequently, 6 = frequently, and 7 = very frequently. Respondents are.
asked to indicate how frequently they experience these life events.
Lack of positive work and life items:
- Variety
- Complexity
- Autonomy
- Significance
- Success
- Feedback
- Self-expression
- Self-actualization
- Policy influence
- Tangible rewards
- Appreciation
- Opportunity to take time off
- Personal relations
- Unconditional support
- Sharing
- Emotional reciprocity
- Comfortable environment
Negative work and life items:
- Negative consequences
- Demands for innovation.
- Under-load
- Overload
- Demands for proving oneself.
- Decision load
- Physical danger
- Environmental pressures
- Bureaucratic interference
- Administrative hassles
- Experience of guilt
- Emotional overextension
- Overextension of commitments and deadlines
- Conflicting demands from other people