• Chanchai Hosanguan

Objectives: No instrument for assessing dentistsû job stress has been developed in Thailand.
The objectives of this study were to describe the development of a Job Stress Inventory (JSI),
a new self-report measure, and to assess its reliability, validity and factorial structure.

Methods: A systematic random sample of 733 practicing dentists in Thailand was sent a mailed
questionnaire that included the JSI and other questions. The JSI consisted of 30 items in a 5-point
Likert format; a higher score reflected a higher level of job stress. Reliability was assessed by
Cronbachûs alpha internal consistency coefficients. Construct validity was examined by exploratory
factor analysis. Criterion validity was assessed through correlation to the Maslach Burnout Inventory
(MBI).

Results: An exploratory factor analysis with principal components solution revealed a five-factor
structure that explained 58.8% of the total variance. The overall JSI scores and all of the subscales
exhibited high internal consistency, with Cronbachûs alphas ranging from 0.77 to 0.94. All items
passed criteria for item convergent and discriminant validities. There were moderate correlations
between the JSI and MBIûs subscales (r = -0.34-0.56).

Conclusion: This study indicated that the JSI is a reliable and valid measure and has possible
utility for assessing dentistsû job stress in heterogeneous practice settings.

(CU Dent J. 2007;30:29-42)