Transcript 16th Congress on Epidemioloy in Occupational Health

th
16
Congress on Epidemiology
in Occupational Health
Barcelona, September 11-14, 2002
Improvements of the psychosocial work
environment on a scientific basis: The
Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire
(COPSOQ)
Tage S. Kristensen
NIOH, Copenhagen
Denmark
Special features of the COPSOQ
Three levels of different length and complexity
National normative values
Five different kinds of job demands
The 3-level concept
Researchers
Work environment
professionals
The workplaces
COPSOQ
The three levels
Research questionnaire:
141 questions
30 dimensions
95 questions
Questionnaire for work
environment professionals: 26 dimensions
Questionnaire for workplaces:
44 questions
8 dimensions
Purposes
of the 3-level concept
To develop valid instruments for use at different levels
To improve communication between researchers, work
environment professionals, and the workplaces
To make national and international comparisons possible
To improve surveys of the work environment and
evaluations of interventions
To make it easier to operationalize complicated theories
and concepts
The philosophy
of the three level concept
Empowerment of employees and workplaces
Improved quality of the work of work
environment professionals
Theory based interventions and assessments
Scales and number of questions at all three levels
Scale
Quantitative demands
Cognitive demands
Emotional demands
Demands for hiding emotions
Sensorial demands
Influence at work
Possibilities for development
Degrees of freedom at work
Meaning of work
Commitment to the workplace
Research
questionnaire
7
8
3
2
5
Number of questions:
Middle
Short
questionnaire
questionnaire
4
3
4
3
2
6
2
1
4
10
7
4
3
4
4
4
4
3
4
3
2
1
2
2
Predictability
Role-clarity
Role-conflicts
Quality of leadership
Social support
Feedback at work
Social relations
Sense of community
2
4
4
8
4
2
2
3
2
4
4
4
4
2
2
3
2
Insecurity at work
4
4
4
Job satisfaction
7
4
4
General health
Mental health
Vitality
5
5
4
5
5
4
1
5
4
Behavioural stress
Somatic stress
Cognitive stress
8
7
4
4
4
4
Sense of coherence
9
Problem focused coping
Selective coping
Resigning coping
Number of questions
Number of scales
2
2
2
10
10
2
2
2
2
141
95
44
30
26
8
Copenhagen
Psychosocial
Questionnaire
COPSOQ
National normative values
The national normative values of COPSOQ are
based on a representative questionnaire survey
of adult Danish employees (20-60y).
2/3 mailed questionnaire
1/3 telephone interviews
Response rate 62%
49% women
N = 1,858
Illustration of a few
dimensions
Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire – Influence at work
S tore m a n a g e rs
Ma n a g e rs
Voc a tion a l s c h ool te a c h e rs
Nu rs e s ´ a id s
E le m e n ta ry s c h ool te a c h e rs
He a d c le rks
Fore m e n
Arc h ite c ts
Hig h s c h ool te a c h e rs
S a le s m e n
Fos te r p a re n ts
W a re h ou s e a s s is ta n ts
Nu rs e s
Dom e s tic h e lp e rs
Me c h a n ic s
E le c tric ia n s
S ys te m p la n n e rs
Kin d e rg a rte n a s s is ta n ts
Ba n k c le rks
Con s tru c tion worke rs
Cooks
T e c h n ic ia n s
S h op a s s is ta n ts
S e c re ta rie s
Dom e s tic h e lp e rs
Ac c ou n ta n ts
Me ta l worke rs
S h op a s s is ta n ts
Cle a n e rs
Drive rs
O ffic e c le rks
Food in d u s try worke rs
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire – Cognitive demands
High school teachers
Elementary school teachers
Architects
Managers
Store managers
Average
Office clerks
Construction workers
Agricultural workers
Food industry workers
Cleaners
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire – Emotional demands
Elementary school teachers
Domestic helpers
Foster parents
Nurses
Nurses´ aids
Average
Metal workers
Agricultural workers
System planners
Construction workers
Food industry workers
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90 100
Examples of job
profiles
Co
gn
iti
ve
de
Po
I
n
m
ss
flu
an
ib
en
ds
ili
ce
tie
at
sf
w
or
or
de
k
ve
D
lo
eg
pm
re
es
en
t
of
f
re
M
ed
ea
om
ni
ng
of
w
or
Pr
k
ed
ic
tab
In
vo
ili
ty
Ro
lv
em
leen
cl
ar
ti
ity
n
wo
rk
pl
So
ac
ci
e
Q
al
ua
su
lit
pp
y
or
of
t
Se
lea
ns
de
eo
rs
hi
fc
p
om
m
un
ity
Fe
ed
So
ba
ci
ck
al
re
la
tio
ns
Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire
Kindergarten teachers
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Co
gn
iti
ve
de
Po
I
n
m
ss
flu
an
ib
en
ds
ili
ce
tie
at
sf
w
or
or
de
k
ve
D
lo
eg
pm
re
es
en
t
of
f
re
M
ed
ea
om
ni
ng
of
w
or
Pr
k
ed
ic
tab
In
vo
ili
ty
Ro
lv
em
leen
cl
ar
ti
ity
n
wo
rk
pl
So
ac
ci
e
Q
al
ua
su
lit
pp
y
or
of
t
Se
lea
ns
de
eo
rs
hi
fc
p
om
m
un
ity
Fe
ed
So
ba
ci
ck
al
re
la
tio
ns
Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire
Food industry workers
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Co
gn
iti
ve
de
Po
I
n
m
ss
flu
an
ib
en
ds
ili
ce
tie
at
sf
w
or
or
de
k
ve
D
lo
eg
pm
re
es
en
t
of
f
re
M
ed
ea
om
ni
ng
of
w
or
Pr
k
ed
ic
tab
In
vo
ili
ty
Ro
lv
em
leen
cl
ar
ti
ity
n
wo
rk
pl
So
ac
ci
e
Q
al
ua
su
lit
pp
y
or
of
t
Se
lea
ns
de
eo
rs
hi
fc
p
om
m
un
ity
Fe
ed
So
ba
ci
ck
al
re
la
tio
ns
Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire
Drivers
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
How to use
the middle size questionnaire
at a workplace
AMI’s psychosocial questionnaire
Dimension: Influence at work
Points
100
60
50
40
0
A
B
C
D
Departments
E
F
Workplace
total
Analyses at the national level
Social class and possibilities for
development at work
Danish Psychosocial Work Environment Study
Score
80
78,9
70,9
70
68,6
60
54,4
50
40
1
p < 0.0001
N = 1684
2
3
Social Class
4
Social class and developmental work
Danish Psychosocial Work Environment Study
80
1
Development
and growth
75
70
2
Cognitive
demands
65
60
Stagnation
and passivity
55
3
4
50
45
50
Low
55
60
65
70
Possibilities for development
75
80
High
NIOH’s soft guidelines
for the use of COPSOQ
Availability
Anyone is free to use the COPSOQ concept
The short questionnaire is free
The medium size questionnaire
(including software, manual and guidelines)
can be bought for approx. $ 125
The long questionnaire is available for all
researchers
Soft guidelines
Never start a survey of the psychosocial working conditions unless
there is a clear intention of taking action if indicated
All respondents are anonymous
Participation is voluntary
Employees have the right to see and discuss all results
The results should be seen as a tool for dialogue and development
Management as well as supervisors and workers should participate
and be committed during the whole process.
In conclusion
COPSOQ is being used by researchers in several
countries, including Spain, Germany, Belgium,
Norway, and Sweden.
The medium size questionnaire is being used by a
very large proportion of Danish work environment
professionals.
The short questionnaire has been used by more than
500 workplaces and twenty thousand employees.
The end
This presentation is available on
www.ami.dk/presentations/