Constructing and validating a measuring instrument for coping with occupational stress

Abstract

SUMMARY CONSTRUCTING AND VALIDATING A MEASURING INSTRUMENT FOR COPING WITH OCCUPATIONAL STRESS by Melissa du Plessis Supervisor: Prof N. Martins Department: Industrial and Organisational Psychology Degree: Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology Orientation: Occupational stress is still a concern for both individuals and organisations, and academia is no exception. Employees’ ability to cope with occupational stressors depend on the regulatory strategies they adopt in response to the stressor. However, there is no clear consensus on how the coping construct should be measured. Existing literature further outlines various conceptual and methodological concerns regarding the measurement of coping. Van Wyk (2010) advocates that currently, no coping instrument has been developed and very few instruments have been validated in a South African and African context. Research purpose: The primary objective of this research was to construct a valid and reliable instrument for determining which coping strategies academics adopt in response to occupational stress. Research methodology: A combination of steps, suggested by scale development authors, was followed to develop the instrument. The process was broken down into three phases, namely: (1) theoretical investigation, (2) instrument purification, and (3) instrument optimisation. The construction of the questionnaire was based on a sample of 305 university employees who were permanently employed in a higher education institution in the Gauteng Province of South Africa. Main findings: The study resulted in a psychometrically sound 33-item measuring instrument. Nine empirically validated coping strategies emerged, namely (1) social coping, (2) religious coping, (3) cognitive coping, (4) active leisure coping, (5) avoidant coping, (6) social disengagement, (7) vacation time, (8) rumination, and (9) emotional coping. These strategies were further classified as adaptive or maladaptive coping strategies. CFA confirmed the nine-factor model. Empirical support for construct and content validity, internal consistency reliability v and composite reliability was available. The instrument further demonstrated convergent and discriminant validity. Contribution/value-add: The key contribution of this study was the development of a psychometrically sound instrument for determining which coping strategies academics adopt in response to occupational stress. This study further contributed to constructing and empirically testing a model for coping with occupational stress. Lastly, the study provided support for measurement invariance across different demographical groups, and the findings revealed that individuals from different demographical backgrounds differ significantly in the coping strategies they adopt in response to occupational stress.

DIE ONTWIKKELING EN VALIDASIE VAN ’N MEETINSTRUMENT VIR DIE HANTERING VAN BEROEPSTRES deur Melissa du Plessis Promotor: Prof N Martins Departement: Bedryfs- en Organisasiesielkunde Graad: DPhil in Sielkunde Oriëntasie: Beroepstres is steeds ’n bron van kommer vir individue sowel as organisasies, en die akademiese omgewing is geen uitsondering nie. Werknemers se vermoë om beroepstres te hanteer, word bepaal deur die regulatoriese strategieë wat hulle aanneem in reaksie tot die stressor. Daar is egter geen duidelike konsensus oor hoe die hanteringskonstruk gemeet behoort te word nie. Voorts dui bestaande literatuur op verskeie konseptuele en metodologiese probleme met betrekking tot die meet van streshantering. Van Wyk (2010) beweer dat daar tot dusver geen hanteringsinstrument ontwikkel is nie en baie min instrumente is in ’n Suid-Afrikaanse en Afrika-konteks gevalideer. Doel van die navorsing: Die primêre doel van hierdie navorsing was om ’n geldige en betroubare instrument te ontwikkel waarmee daar bepaal kan word watter hanteringstrategieë akademici aanneem om beroepstres te hanteer. Navorsingsmetodologie: Die instrument is ontwikkel deur die kombinasie van verskeie stappe wat deur skrywers oor skaalontwikkeling voorgestel is. Die proses is in die volgende drie fases verdeel: (1) ’n teoretiese ondersoek; (2) die suiwering van die instrument; en (3) die optimalisering van die instrument. Die vraelys is ontwerp met die oog op die steekproef bestaande uit 305 werknemers met permanente aanstellings by ’n hoëronderwysinstelling in die Gauteng provinsie in Suid-Afrika. Hoofbevindinge: Die studie het gelei tot die ontwerp van ’n psigometries betroubare meetinstrument bestaande uit 33 items. Nege empiries gestaafde hanteringstrategieë het na vore gekom: (1) sosiale hantering; (2) religieuse hantering; (3) kognitiewe hantering; (4) aktieweontspanningshantering; (5) vermydende hantering; (6) sosiale ontkoppeling; (7) vakansietyd; (8) ruminering; en (9) emosionele hantering. Hierdie strategieë is verder vii geklassifiseer as adaptiewe of wanadaptiewe hanteringstrategieë. Dié nege-faktormodel is deur BFA bevestig. Empiriese steun vir konstruk- en inhoudsgeldigheid, interne konsekwentheidsbetroubaarheid en saamgestelde betroubaarheid was beskikbaar. Voorts het die instrument ook konvergente en diskriminantgeldigheid gedemonstreer. Bydrae / waardetoevoeging: Die belangrikste bydrae van hierdie studie was die ontwikkeling van ’n psigometries betroubare instrument wat gebruik kan word om te bepaal watter strategieë akademici volg om beroepstres te hanteer. Die studie het ook bygedra tot die ontwerp en empiriese toetsing van ’n model vir die hantering van beroepstres. Ten slotte het die studie metingsinvariansies oor verskillende demografiese groepe heen bevestig en die bevindinge het getoon dat individue uit verskillende demografiese groepe se hanteringstrategieë vir beroepstres merkbaar verskil.

IQOQO LOKUBAKULEKILE UKWAKHA NOKUQINISEKISA ITHULUZI LOKULINGANISA UKUKWAZI UKUMELA UKUKHATHAZEKA NGENXA YEZIMO ZASEMSEBENZINI ngu Melissa du Plessis UMhloli Olulekayo: USolwazi N Martins Umnyango: Izifundo Mayelana Nokusebenza Kwengqondo Nomthelela Walokho Ekuziphatheni Kwabantu Emsebenzini Iziqu: UDokotela Wezifundo Zefilosofi Maqondana Nokusebenza Kwengqondo Nomthelela Walokho Ekuziphatheni Okumaqondana nakho:Ukukhathazeka okumaqondana nezimo zasemsebenzini kusayinto ehlupha abantu ngabodwana nezinkampani, kanti nezazi zezemfundo ephakeme nazo ngeke zashiywa ngaphandle. Ukukwazi kwabasebenzi ukubhekana nezimbangela zokukhathazeka ngenxa yezimo zomsebenzi kuya ngamasu okulawula asetshenziswayo ukubhekana nalokho okudala ukukhathazeka. Nakuba kunjalo, akukho ukuvumelana okucacile ekutheni lokho okwakhiwe kokubhekana nokukhathazeka kungalinganiswa kanjani. Imibhalo ekhona ibeka kabanzi okukhathazayo okwahlukahlukene okuqondene nokuqanjwa nendlela yokwenza maqondana nokulinganiswa kokukwazi ukubhekana nokukhathazeka. UVan Wyk (2010) ulwela ukuthi, njengamanje, akunathuluzi elakhelwe ukuqonda ngokukhathazeka eselike lakhiwa kanti ambalwa amathuluzi aseke aqinisekiswa eNingizimu Afrika nase-Afrika. Injongo yocwaningo:Okuyiyona njongo eqavile yalolu cwaningo ngukwakha ithuluzi elifanele nelikholakalayo ukuveza ukuthi yimaphi amasu okubhekana nezimo asetshenziswa yizazi kwezemfundo ephakeme ezimweni zokukhathazeka ngenxa yomsebenzi. Indlela ezolandelwa ekwenzeni ucwaningo:Ukuze kusungulwe leli thuluzi, kulandelwe inhlanganisela yamagxathu ahlongozwe ngababhala mayelana nokwakhiwa kwezikali. Indlela elandelwayo yahlukaniswa izigaba ezintathu, okuyilezi: (1) ukuhlolwa kwesichasiselo esibonwa ngokucabanga kwengqondo, (2) ukuhlanjululwa kwethuluzi, kanye (3) nokusetshenziswa kwangcono kwethuluzi. Ukuhlanganiswa kohlu lwemibuzo kwakuncike esampuleni lwabasebenzi basenyuvesi abangama-305 ababeqashwe ngokugcwele esikhungweni semfundo ephakeme esifundazweni saseGauteng eNingizimu Afrika. ix Imiphumela yocwaningo eqavile: Lolu cwaningo lwadala ukuba kube khona ithuluzi lokulinganisa elisebenza kahle maqondana nokukala okuphathelene nengqondo okunezinhla ezingama-33. Kwavela amasu ayisishiyagalolunye aqinisekiswe ngokubhekwa, nokuyilawa (1) ukubhekana nesimo ngokokuhlalisana nabantu, (2) ukubhekana nesimo ngokwezenkolo, (3) ukubhekana nesimo ngokokuqonda, (4) ukubhekana nesimo ngokuzibandakanya nezikaqedisizungu, (5) ukubhekana nesimo ngokuzila okuthile, (6) ukungazibandakanyi nezimo ezihlanganisana nabantu, (7) ukungcebeleka, (8) ukuzindla, kanye (9) nokubhekana nesimo ngokuba nomunyu. La masu abuye afakwa ngaphansi kohlu lwamasu okubhekana nesimo alandelekayo nangalandeleki. I-CFA yaziqinisekisa lezi zindlela ezihlukene kasishiyagalolunye. Ukwesekelwa kokubonakele ukuqinisekisa okwakhiwe nokuqukethwe, indlela yokubheka ukuthi ithuluzi elisetshenziswayo likulinganisa ngendlela efanele kangakanani lokho okubhekwayo kanye nokusebenza ngokukholakala ngokuphelele kwamaqoqo asetshenzisiwe. Ithuluzi labuye laveza ukuqinisekiseka kokufanayo nokwahlukayo. Okusebenzile/ okuhambisana nenzuzo: Okuyiyona nto emqoka kakhulu maqondana nalolu cwaningo kwaba ngukusungulwa kwethuluzi lokulinganisa elisebenza kahle maqondana nokulinganisa okuphathelene nengqondo ukubona ukuthi yimaphi amasu okubhekana nezimo asetshenziswa yizazi kwezemfundo ephakeme ezimweni zokukhathazeka ngenxa yomsebenzi. Ucwaningo luphinde lwadlala indima ekwakheni nasekuhloleni ngokubheka okwenzekayo ngethuluzi elingasetshenziselwa ukubhekana nesimo sokukhathazeka emsebenzini. Okokugcina, ucwaningo luhlinzeke ukwesekelwa kokungaguquki kwezilinganiso emaqoqweni ahlukahlukene ngokwezigaba, kanti imiphumela yaveza ukuthi abantu abaqhamuka emaqoqweni ahlukahlukene ngokwezigaba ahluka kakhulu uma kufikwa emaswini abakhetha ukuwasebenzisa maqondana nokukhathazeka ngenxa yezimo zomsebenzi.