Measuring digital stress in the workplace context

Abstract

Digital stress is a form of stress caused by the use and ubiquity of digital technologies. More and more scientists and practitioners are interested in the phenomenon of digital stress, its causes (e.g., constant smartphone accessibility, unreliable and unstable systems, information overload), and its consequences (e.g., negative health effects, dissatisfaction, or reduced performance and productivity). In an article published in Frontiers in Psychology (12:607598), we introduced the English version of the Digital Stressors Scale (DSS). This is a psychometrically evaluated self-report questionnaire for measuring digital stress in the workplace. In the current paper, we present a short version of this original questionnaire. The original questionnaire consists of 50 questions (items), whereas the short version presented here contains 30 questions. In accordance with the original questionnaire, the entire digital stress experienced by an individual in the workplace is based on 10 stress categories, with each category being assessed with three questions in the short version. Academics can use the questionnaire to quantify digital stress and its 10 dimensions for reliable and valid measurement within the context of scientific research. Practitioners benefit from using this assessment tool to measure the digital stress perceived by employees in the organizational environment. This is a precondition for implementing effective coping strategies.