Using the HSE stress indicator tool in a military context

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Psychometrics
• Military Psychology

Background:

• The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) stress indicator tool is widely used to assess workplace stress.
• Its applicability to specific populations, such as Ministry of Defence (MoD) personnel, requires validation.
• Understanding the psychometric properties of assessment tools within unique operational environments is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the suitability and validity of the HSE stress indicator tool for use with MoD personnel.
• To assess the association between specific stressor scales and adverse outcomes in a military sample.
• To determine if modifications could improve the tool's content validity for the MoD context.

Main Methods:

• A quantitative study involving 1031 respondents from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and MoD civilians.
• Participants completed the HSE stress tool alongside supplementary measures of work-life balance, engagement, deployment, leave, and working hours.
• Six measures of adverse reactions to stressors were also collected, including perceptions of job stress, psychological strain, and fatigue.

Main Results:

• The HSE stressor scales, particularly 'demands' and 'relationships', were significantly associated with adverse outcomes.
• The supplementary work-life balance scale also correlated with negative outcomes.
• The HSE tool demonstrated partial validity but was considered too narrow in scope for the MoD population.

Conclusions:

• The HSE stress indicator tool has some utility for assessing stress in MoD personnel.
• Its content validity can be significantly improved by incorporating a 'work-life balance' scale.
• This highlights the importance of context-specific psychometric evaluation for assessment instruments.