A short generic measure of work stress in the era of globalization: effort-reward imbalance.
OBJECTIVE
We evaluate psychometric properties of a short version of the original effort-reward imbalance (ERI) questionnaire. This measure is of interest in the context of assessing stressful work conditions in the era of economic globalization.


METHODS
In a representative sample of 10,698 employed men and women participating in the longitudinal Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) in Germany, a short version of the ERI questionnaire was included in the 2006 panel wave. Structural equation modeling and logistic regression analysis were applied.


RESULTS
In addition to satisfactory internal consistency of scales, a model representing the theoretical structure of the scales provided the best data fit in a competitive test (RMSEA = 0.059, CAIC = 4124.19). Scoring high on the ERI scales was associated with elevated risks of poor self-rated health.


CONCLUSIONS
This short version of the ERI questionnaire reveals satisfactory psychometric properties, and can be recommended for further use in research and practice.
Siegrist
Johannes
J
University of Duesseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany. siegrist@uni-duesseldorf.de
Wege
Natalia
N
Pühlhofer
Frank
F
Wahrendorf
Morten
M
D000328:Adult; D004651:Employment / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D038622:Internationality; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods*; D012201:Reward; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016526:Workload / Q000523:psychology