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Validity of occupational stress assessment using a visual analogue scale
1Unité Fonctionnelle pathologie professionnelle et sante au travail, hospital Sébastopol, 48 rue de Sébastopol, 51092 Reims cedex, France. fxlesage@chu-reims.fr
Occupational Medicine (Oxford, England)
|April 21, 2011
Summary
The visual analogue scale (VAS) effectively measures occupational stress, showing strong agreement with the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). This validated tool aids physicians in identifying high stress levels in workers.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Psychological Assessment
- Clinical Measurement
Background:
- The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) is commonly used by occupational physicians for stress assessment.
- Quantitative validation studies for the VAS in stress assessment are limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the external validity of the VAS for stress assessment in occupational health settings.
- To compare VAS scores with the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) by Cohen.
Main Methods:
- A random sample of 360 workers completed anonymous self-administered questionnaires.
- Participants filled out both the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS14) and the VAS.
Main Results:
- No significant difference was found between mean PSS14 and VAS stress scores.
- A linear regression equation was established: 'VAS score = -0.18 + 1008 × PSS14 score'.
- A VAS score of 7.0 demonstrated optimal sensitivity (0.74) and specificity (0.93) for high stress detection.
Conclusions:
- The VAS demonstrates acceptable agreement with the PSS, indicating they measure the same psychological construct.
- The high sensitivity/specificity and area under the curve support the VAS's utility for occupational physicians.
- The VAS is a meaningful, suitable, and useful tool for occupational stress assessment.
