The objective of this study was to develop and to validate a general instrument to evaluate occupational stress, easily administered, used in different work environments and for a variety of occupations. The Work Stress Scale (WSS) initially composed of 31 items was applied to 437 workers, 249 men and 188 women, of public and private organizations. The factor analysis detected only one factor. After the elimination of the items with a factor loading below .45, the final version of the scale was composed of 23 items and had a Cronbach's coefficient of .91. A reduced version of the scale with 13 items and a Cronbach's coefficient of .85 has been proposed. Based on the satisfactory psychometric parameters of the scale, it is concluded that the WSS is useful as an alternative in empirical investigations and organizational diagnostics. The results obtained can be useful indicators for organizational decisions in relation to the life quality of the workers.
occupational stress; organizational stressors; psychometrics
