Validation and Cultural Adaptation of the "Stress in General Scale" Among Greek Professionals Working with Refugees

The "Stress in General Scale" (SiGS) is a measuring tool of work-related stress and a practical self-report scale in terms of time saving, and thus appropriate for demanding working environments. The aim of this study was the validation of the SiGS in a Greek professional population sample working with refugees. SiGS along with the Perceived Stress Scale, the Job Stress Measure and the Maslach Burnout Inventory were distributed to 200 professionals. The final sample consisted of 157 professionals (mean age ± SD 32.87 ± 7.61 years; 64.3% males, 35.7% females) working with refugees, under demanding working conditions in the islands, the countryside and the capital of Athens. Specifically, the study sample was recruited from the following: National Center for Social Solidarity, International Organization for Migration, Asylum Service on the island of Rhodes, Reception and Identification Center, the island of Kos, SOS Children's Villages, Smile of the Child, Metadrasis, Praxis, NGOs "The Home Project," Zeuxis Iliachtida and Arsis. Two components were extracted that explained 30.2% and 22.6% of the variance, respectively. These factors were assessed as (i) pressure (items Demanding, Pressured, Hectic, Calm, Relaxed, Many things stressful, Pushed), and (ii) threat (items Irritating, Under control, Nerve-wracking, Hassled, Comfortable, More stressful than I'd like, Smooth running, Overwhelming). The Cronbach's alpha of the SiGS was 0.85 and 0.75 for Pressure and Threat factors, respectively. Cronbach's alpha reliability obtained acceptable levels for both subscales. We conclude that the "Stress in General Scale" can be used as a reliable, validated general measure of work stress in the Greek population.