Validation of a Scale to Measure Career Concerns Related to Perceived Environmental Challenges (the CC-PEC Scale)

Choosing a future career represents a complex developmental task, often accompanied by multiple concerns and anxieties. The Social Cognitive Career Theory and Life Design paradigm emphasize the importance of supporting individuals in managing career-related challenges. However, global stressors-such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and increasing awareness of the climate emergency-have introduced new and multifaceted sources of uncertainty that are not adequately captured by existing instruments. This gap highlights the need for a psychometrically sound measure to assess emerging career-related concerns in the contemporary context. Accordingly, the study aimed to develop and validate the Career Concerns related to Perceived Environmental Challenges (CC-PEC Scale). Four studies were conducted. Study 1 employed exploratory factor analysis, supporting a three-factor structure (Career-related COVID-19 pandemic concern, Career-related war concern, and Career-related climate emergency concern). Study 2 confirmed this structure using confirmatory factor analysis and demonstrated measurement invariance across gender, supporting a hierarchical factorial model. Study 3 provided evidence of concurrent and discriminant validity through associations with related constructs. Study 4 offered preliminary evidence of stability and predictive validity using life satisfaction and flourishing as outcome variables. Overall, the findings support the CC-PEC Scale as a reliable and valid instrument for assessing career-related concerns linked to global environmental challenges. These results have important implications for research and career guidance interventions aimed at supporting young people's career development in increasingly uncertain contexts.