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Can the job content questionnaire be used to assess structural and organizational properties of the work environment?

Persson, Roger LU orcid ; Hansen, Ase Marie ; Garde, Anne Helene ; Kristiansen, Jesper ; Nordander, Catarina LU orcid ; Balogh, Istvan LU ; Ohlsson, Kerstina LU ; Östergren, Per-Olof LU and Örbaek, Palle LU (2012) In International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health 85(1). p.45-55
Abstract
Objective The theory behind the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) presumes that the "objective" social environment is measurable via self-report inventories such as the JCQ. Hence, it is expected that workers in identical work will respond highly similar. However, since no studies have evaluated this basic assumption, we decided to investigate whether workers performing highly similar work also responded similarly to the JCQ. Methods JCQ data from a rubber-manufacturing (RM: n = 95) and a mechanical assembly company (MA: n = 119) were examined. On each worksite, men and women performed identical machine-paced job tasks. A population sample (n = 8,542) served as a reference group. Results In both the RM and MA groups, the job support... (More)
Objective The theory behind the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) presumes that the "objective" social environment is measurable via self-report inventories such as the JCQ. Hence, it is expected that workers in identical work will respond highly similar. However, since no studies have evaluated this basic assumption, we decided to investigate whether workers performing highly similar work also responded similarly to the JCQ. Methods JCQ data from a rubber-manufacturing (RM: n = 95) and a mechanical assembly company (MA: n = 119) were examined. On each worksite, men and women performed identical machine-paced job tasks. A population sample (n = 8,542) served as a reference group. Results In both the RM and MA groups, the job support questions were rated most similar. Yet, there was a substantial variation as regards choosing to agree or disagree with single JCQ items. The variation was also reflected in the scale scores. In the RM and MA groups, the variance of job demand and job control scores was 64-87% of that of the population sample. For job support scores, the corresponding variation was 42-87%. Conclusion Conducting highly similar work does not lead to highly similar reports in the JCQ. In view of the large response variation, it seems that the attempt to avoid personal influence by minimizing the self-reflexive component in the questions asked, and using response alternative that indicates degree of agreement, does not seem to work as intended. (Less)
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author
; ; ; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Method, Repetitive work, Work stress
in
International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health
volume
85
issue
1
pages
45 - 55
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • wos:000299522900005
  • scopus:84857366664
ISSN
1432-1246
DOI
10.1007/s00420-011-0647-2
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
ef0c404b-d828-4c69-8215-e8d181b46ee2 (old id 2355013)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 10:44:20
date last changed
2022-01-26 02:04:03
@article{ef0c404b-d828-4c69-8215-e8d181b46ee2,
  abstract     = {{Objective The theory behind the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) presumes that the "objective" social environment is measurable via self-report inventories such as the JCQ. Hence, it is expected that workers in identical work will respond highly similar. However, since no studies have evaluated this basic assumption, we decided to investigate whether workers performing highly similar work also responded similarly to the JCQ. Methods JCQ data from a rubber-manufacturing (RM: n = 95) and a mechanical assembly company (MA: n = 119) were examined. On each worksite, men and women performed identical machine-paced job tasks. A population sample (n = 8,542) served as a reference group. Results In both the RM and MA groups, the job support questions were rated most similar. Yet, there was a substantial variation as regards choosing to agree or disagree with single JCQ items. The variation was also reflected in the scale scores. In the RM and MA groups, the variance of job demand and job control scores was 64-87% of that of the population sample. For job support scores, the corresponding variation was 42-87%. Conclusion Conducting highly similar work does not lead to highly similar reports in the JCQ. In view of the large response variation, it seems that the attempt to avoid personal influence by minimizing the self-reflexive component in the questions asked, and using response alternative that indicates degree of agreement, does not seem to work as intended.}},
  author       = {{Persson, Roger and Hansen, Ase Marie and Garde, Anne Helene and Kristiansen, Jesper and Nordander, Catarina and Balogh, Istvan and Ohlsson, Kerstina and Östergren, Per-Olof and Örbaek, Palle}},
  issn         = {{1432-1246}},
  keywords     = {{Method; Repetitive work; Work stress}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{45--55}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health}},
  title        = {{Can the job content questionnaire be used to assess structural and organizational properties of the work environment?}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00420-011-0647-2}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s00420-011-0647-2}},
  volume       = {{85}},
  year         = {{2012}},
}