Psychometric properties of scales in the General Nordic Questionnaire for Psychological and Social Factors at Work (QPS_Nordic): Confirmatory factor analysis and prediction of certified long‐term sickness absence

Reliability was generally satisfactory, confirmatory factor analysis indicated good fit, concurrent validity was good, some less often investigated organizational variables predicted sickness absence, and scales were differentially associated with absence due to psychiatric and musculoskeletal disorders.

Abstract

Psychometric properties, particularly predictive validity, of scales in the General Nordic Questionnaire for Psychological and Social Factors at Work (QPS(Nordic)) were assessed. The analysis is confined to the scales in the QPS(Nordic,) and 24 of the 26 scales are included. A large group of Swedish county council employees (n= 3,976; response rate = 65%) participated in a study and were given the QPS(Nordic). Register data for long-term sick leave (>90 days), with diagnosis, were used for predictive analysis. The following main results were obtained: Reliability was generally satisfactory, confirmatory factor analysis indicated good fit, concurrent validity was good, some less often investigated organizational variables predicted sickness absence, and scales were differentially associated with absence due to psychiatric and musculoskeletal disorders. In conclusion, the psychometric testing of the QPS(Nordic) so far suggests that it is a good instrument for assessing health-related factors at work.