Assessing Work-Related Stressors in Online Counseling: Cross-Sectional Questionnaire Development Study

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Digital Health
• Occupational Health

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of online counseling, presenting unique challenges for counselors.
• Existing tools do not adequately assess occupational stressors specific to online counseling.
• Counselors face technical issues, relationship-building difficulties, and work organization changes in digital settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate the "QueStrOn" (Questionnaire to Assess Stressors in Online Counseling) instrument.
• To identify specific stressors and resources in online counseling.
• To explore the questionnaire's ability to predict perceived stress levels among counselors.

Main Methods:

• The Job Demands-Resources model guided item development, alongside qualitative interviews and expert input.
• A preliminary questionnaire was distributed to 219 counselors, with 174 responses analyzed.
• Exploratory factor analysis identified a four-factor structure, and regression analysis tested predictive power.

Main Results:

• The QueStrOn questionnaire has 16 items across four factors: Online Work Organization, Online Framework, Online Work Content, and Online Communication.
• The instrument demonstrated good overall internal consistency (α=0.870).
• The factors significantly predicted perceived stress, explaining 27.1% of the variance.

Conclusions:

• QueStrOn offers a validated tool for assessing occupational stressors in online counseling.
• The instrument's findings can inform workplace risk assessments and support counselor well-being.
• Further validation and longitudinal studies are recommended to enhance applicability and explore health outcomes.