A.V.A.M. Evers

Revisions and further developments of the occupational stress indicator: Lisrel results from four dutch studies.

The Occupational Stress Indicator (OSI) is a popular instrument for the diagnosis of stress and stress-related personality and outcome variables. However, one weakness of the OSI was the low reliability of some of its scales. This paper describes in a series of four studies improvements of the reliabilities of most of the scales of the Dutch version of the OSI. All new scales were tested for unidimensionality. Compared to the original OSI, the personality scales (type A, locus of control, and coping styles) have been changed completely and nearly all original items were replaced. The other scales are revisions of the original OSI, with some items being deleted, rewritten, or added. A new scale for satisfaction with pay was included. All but two of the revised scales now show sufficient reliabilities and unidimensionality. This revision led us to suggest two versions of the OSI: an elaborate version with 28 scales and 188 items, and an abridged version with 15 scales and 94 items.

Regulations Concerning Test Qualifications and Test Use in The Netherlands

In this article the policy and regulations of the Dutch Association of Psychologists to improve the use of tests in the Netherlands are discussed. Two approaches are distinguished: the information approach and the registration approach. The Dutch Committee on Testing Affairs works primarily from the information approach point of view, such as in their regular publication of a Documentation of Tests, their rating of tests and the translation of the APA Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing. Both the history of the registration approach in the Netherlands and its present situation are discussed. The development and the official introduction in 1994 of a system of registration for psychologists who administer tests are considered a great improvement. Three categories of tests and test users were defined in the regulation with regard to buying permits. In the final section some suggestions are made for further improvement, such as a better underpinning of the registration system, taking care of ...

Differences in Occupational Stress in three European countries

In this study, the reliabilities of the Dutch translation of the Occupational Stress Inventory, which is based on the theory of Cooper (Cooper & Marshall, 1976), was investigated. The sample comprised 436 nurses. A comparison is made of the individual and job satisfaction stress levels of Dutch and British nurses (N = 546), and of British managers (N =123) and German managers (N =133). The differences in the reliabilities of the Dutch version, compared to the British and German, are small. The differences between the stress and satisfaction scores are found to be greater between occupational groups than between nations.