Volume 5, Issue 4 (11-2024)
2024, 5(4): 214-227 |
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Esmaeili Bidhendi T, Barzegar M, Naghsh Z. (2024). Validation of the Psycho-social Risk Scale of the Work Environment (Case Study: Working Mothers). Early Childhood Health And Education. 5(4), 214-227. doi:10.32592/jeche.5.4.214
URL: http://jeche.ir/article-1-212-en.html
URL: http://jeche.ir/article-1-212-en.html
1- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, Saveh Branch, Islamic Azad University, Saveh, Iran
2- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Marvdasht Branch, Islamic Azad University, Marvdasht, Iran
3- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
2- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Marvdasht Branch, Islamic Azad University, Marvdasht, Iran
3- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
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| Background and Aim: Work is considered a fundamental factor in determining an individual's quality of life (Nanda et al., 2019), and an individual's work environment can be defined as both the place where they work and the surrounding environment. In fact, the work environment can be defined as those practices, systems, structures, tools, or settings in the workplace that positively or negatively affect individual performance (Pootri et al., 2019). Therefore, despite the positive effects of work, an undesirable work environment can be harmful to the mental health of employees, especially women. In this context, women's employment outside the home is subject to specific hours, sometimes flexible and limited, and aligned with the psychological and emotional structure of women. It also involves maintaining family health, preventing harm to child-rearing, and carrying part of the family's economic burden (Kharizi & Moradi, 2015). This group faces pressures due to accepting and fulfilling more and newer commitments, one of which is the work/family conflict. If this issue is not managed, it can have unintended consequences for social cohesion, family functions, and the mental and social health of its members (Heydari, 2023). In the Islamic perspective, women's employment should not cause them to neglect their natural and innate duties (Kharizi & Moradi, 2015). Psychosocial risks related to the health and behavior of female employees have a significant and negative impact on organizations, both of which are associated with various organizational consequences. As a result, companies need to have policies and tools to address such risks, and the risk management process should be incorporated into organizational management systems (Naji et al., 2022). Since psychosocial risks can be included in general strategic methods for risk assessment conducted by employers, managing psychosocial risks is also one of the employer’s responsibilities for prevention, management, and the creation of health and safety procedures (Rosouz, 2023). Therefore, assessing psychosocial issues is considered the first step in the psychosocial risk management process. Psychosocial risks can be recorded and documented using various methods such as reviewing archival data, observations during work, focus groups, employee interviews, and self-report surveys. Such tools are part of broader public prevention campaigns. For example, in the UK, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Index tool is part of a broader organizational approach implemented under the specific requirements of the Health and Safety at Work Regulations in the UK (Edwards et al., 2008). Based on the above texts and research findings, it was decided to develop a tool that measures psychosocial risks in the workplace and also integrates the outcomes of these risks in female employees, with the ability to assess psychosocial risks in a work environment aligned with Iranian-Islamic culture. The tool is intended to be locally adapted for Iran and in accordance with the prevailing culture in Iranian workplaces. This research aimed to answer the question: To what extent does the Iranian version of the psychosocial risks in the workplace scale (for working mothers) demonstrate validity and reliability? Methods: The statistical population of the study consisted of working mothers in the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labour, and Social Welfare of the country during the first and second half of 2023. According to Klein (2007), the minimum sample size for factor analysis is 200 participants. Therefore, in the present study, for each level of research (the first level for exploratory factor analysis and the second level for confirmatory factor analysis), 200 participants were selected, with a 20% sample attrition rate, making a total of 480 participants for both levels of the study. These participants were selected using simple random sampling. The tool used in the present study was a researcher-made 52-item scale with a 7-point Likert response scale, ranging from Strongly Disagree (1) to Strongly Agree (7). To implement the research, after obtaining the necessary permissions from the university to conduct the study, a session was held with officials from the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labour, and Social Welfare. The summary of the research was presented, and then the 52-item researcher-made scale was distributed among working mothers in the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labour, and Social Welfare. After the participants responded, the completed surveys were collected. The fully completed versions were entered into SPSS (data analysis software) and Lisrel for analysis, with gratitude extended to the participants. Results: The findings revealed that the final structure of the tool, consisting of 36 items covering 6 factors—organizational culture, health and well-being, ineffective behaviors, job satisfaction and engagement, work demands, and job insecurity—had a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.876. The factor structure obtained through exploratory factor analysis showed favorable fit indices (CFI, GFI, RFI, NFI, IFI). The six-factor model identified in the exploratory factor analysis was confirmed in the first-order confirmatory factor analysis. The convergent validity of the tool was also assessed by calculating the average variance extracted (AVE). The calculated values for the factors were as follows: organizational culture (0.56), health and well-being (0.67), ineffective behaviors (0.71), job satisfaction and engagement (0.54), work demands (0.66), and job insecurity (0.74), with the overall scale achieving an AVE of 0.55. These values, all greater than 0.50, confirm the convergent validity of the tool. Discussion and conclusion: This study was designed to develop a new tool for measuring psychosocial risks to assess the work environment in Iran. In this study, a researcher-made tool with a content structure of 52 items and 7 factors was tested in three phases: experimental, preliminary, and final, over two time periods in 2023, using three different samples from the target population (working mothers). The results of the first phase indicated the removal of 12 items, and the preliminary phase showed the removal of 4 items. In the final phase, the 36-item structure was confirmed using confirmatory factor analysis, with 6 factors: Organizational Culture (8 items), Mental Health (7 items), Ineffective Behaviors (6 items), Job Satisfaction and Engagement (7 items), Work Demands (4 items), and Job Insecurity (4 items). An important point is the cultural context of this tool. The design of this tool was done with consideration of Iran's cultural characteristics, which is why it is considered a suitable alternative to other similar tools in this area, especially in the domain of sexual harassment. The reason it is claimed that this tool is more effective in the domain of sexual harassment is due to a deeper understanding of the cultural nuances (the designers of this tool are familiar with the cultural specifics of the Iranian workplace, and they took these nuances into account when designing the items). This helps provide a more accurate and in-depth understanding of experiences related to sexual harassment in the Iranian workplace. Therefore, as a significant portion of our society consists of women and mothers, failing to address their problems and concerns may deprive the community of these valuable human resources, especially in important and sensitive jobs. Hence, to improve their work and motherhood quality, greater attention and measures to reduce these concerns are necessary. Compared to other tools for measuring psychosocial risks, the tool developed in this study assesses various variables or factors designed to measure the consequences of psychosocial issues that have not yet been included in existing tools, or which may cause bias due to their content not aligning with the social norms of the country. This tool is the first related to psychosocial risks that measures presenteeism, a variable that has recently gained much attention due to its impact on productivity and organizational profitability. Additionally, addressing sexual harassment by formulating items with language appropriate to the country’s culture is another advantage of this tool, which is not even seen in the latest psychosocial risk tool for the work environment developed by Rosouz (2023). Nevertheless, psychosocial risks are recognized as a critical component that must be addressed for the safety of both the individual and the organization (Naji et al., 2022). Greater attention to psychosocial factors in the workplace can play an effective role in the productivity and efficiency of employees and organizations (Afshari et al., 2021). Therefore, identifying these risks is vital in the development of effective preventive services and early interventions (Rosouz, 2023). 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Article type Case Study Pages: 214-227 |
| Corresponding Author’s Info Email: mbarzegar55@gmail.com |
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| Article history: Received: 2024/02/04 Revised: 2024/05/30 Accepted: 2024/06/02 Published online: 2024/06/26 |
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| Keywords: Reliability, psycho-social Working mothers Risks Work environment |
Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2023/12/31 | Accepted: 2024/04/7 | Published: 2024/06/11
Received: 2023/12/31 | Accepted: 2024/04/7 | Published: 2024/06/11
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