Reliability and Validity of the Japanese Version of the 12-Item Psychosocial Safety Climate Scale (PSC-12J).

Akiomi Inoue,Maureen F Dollard,Yuko Kachi,Sarven S Mclinton,Akizumi Tsutsumi,Hisashi Eguchi

doi:10.3390/ijerph182412954

Abstract

The 12-item psychosocial safety climate scale (PSC-12) has been used extensively in previous research, but its reliability and validity in a Japanese context are still unknown. We examined the psychometrics of the Japanese version of the PSC-12 (PSC-12J). The PSC-12J and scales on the relevant variables were administered to 2200 employees registered with an online survey company. A follow-up survey with 1400 of the respondents was conducted two weeks later. Internal consistency and test–retest reliability were examined via Cronbach’s alpha and Cohen’s weighted kappa coefficients, respectively. Structural, convergent, and known-group validities were examined using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and item response theory (IRT) analysis, correlation analysis, and Kruskal–Wallis test, respectively. Cronbach’s alpha and Cohen’s weighted kappa coefficients were 0.97 and 0.53, respectively. CFA based on the four-factor structure established in the previous literature showed an acceptable model fit. IRT analysis showed that each item was an adequate measure of the respondent’s latent trait. Correlations of the PSC-12J with the relevant variables and distribution of scores by demographic characteristics were also observed in the theoretically expected directions, supporting the construct validity of the PSC-12J. Our findings establish the PSC-12J as a reliable and valid measure of the psychosocial safety climate construct in the Japanese context.

Highlights

In Japan, nearly 60% of employees suffer from stress and other problems at work [1].Applications for compensation for work-related injuries due to mental disorders have seen more than a tenfold increase over the past two decades [2], and the further dissemination of approaches to individuals, and to organizations via improvements in psychosocial work environment, is required as a measure for mental health among employees [3]
There were no differences in the distribution of demographic characteristics between the baseline and follow-up surveys (RoB Box 9-5)
The Psychosocial safety climate (PSC)-12J and its subscales had Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of >0.90, indicating a high internal consistency. These coefficients are similar to or higher than those reported in the previous study in Australia [8]; the new PSC-12J seems to have a level of reliability that is comparable to the original English version

Summary

Introduction

Applications for compensation for work-related injuries due to mental disorders have seen more than a tenfold increase over the past two decades [2], and the further dissemination of approaches to individuals, and to organizations via improvements in psychosocial work environment, is required as a measure for mental health among employees [3]. Psychosocial safety climate (PSC) is a dimension of organizational climate and refers to shared employee perceptions regarding “policies, practices, and procedures for the protection of psychological health and safety among employees” [4]. Previous studies in Australia, where PSC was first proposed and developed, have shown that employee perceptions of low PSC were associated with a variety of adverse mental and physical health, as well as safety outcomes, such as psychological distress, emotional exhaustion, circulatory diseases, and occupational injuries [5,6,7].

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