[Validation of the Questionnaire "Sources of Occupational Stress in Firefighters & Paramedics (SOOS-11)"]

So far, there is no German instrument for determining occupational stress in members of volunteer firefighting (MVF). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the Sources of Occupational Stress in Firefighters & Paramedics (SOOS-11). MVF were interviewed in cooperation with the fire department accident fund of Lower Saxony at three different measurement times (MT). The first MT was a questionnaire survey (November 2016-February 2017) which contained various self-assessment questionnaires (N=475). At the second MT (May 2017-November 2017) N = 117 MVF (n=55 from the first MT) participated in an interview that contained the modules of the structural clinical interview for DSM-IV (SKID-I; Wittchen, Wunderlich, Gruschwitz & Zaudig, 1997) for diagnosing a depression and posttraumatic stress disorder. During the course of the third MT (November 2017-May 2018) a part of the second sample (n=58) answered various assessment questionnaires again. It was possible to estimate satisfactory values for the internal consistence of the SOOS-11 (α=0.73-0.76). The 6-month-test-retest-reliability was r=0.60. An explorative as well as a confirmatory factor analysis suggested an adequate model-fit for a one-factorial and a 2-factorial structure of the questionnaire. High significant correlations were found between the manifestations of the well-being, the organizational climate and the SOOS-11. Therefore, the SOOS-11 represents a good possibility for measuring occupational stress in MVF. The questionnaire should be tested with a further sample, for example members of the professional fire brigade.