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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Jackie Agnew, PhD, Environmental Health, Johns Hopkins University, 615 North Wolfe, Baltimore, MD 21205, 410-955-4037, jagnew@jhsph.edu, Aaron I. Schneiderman, PhD, RN, Department of Veterans Affairs, 50 Irving Street NW, Washington, DC 20422, and Barbara A. Curbow, PhD, Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins University, School of Hygiene and Public Health, 624 N Broadway 7th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21205.
Operational readiness of the U.S. military depends on high levels of health and mission-oriented training of all members, including reservists. The health of reservists may be influenced by the multiple roles of these individuals who have civilian and military jobs plus family obligations. Reservists experience unique combinations of stressors and resources from their multiple occupational settings. This study used a newly developed Reserve-Specific Stress Inventory (RSSI) to measure the domains of job demands, job control, and job-related social support and resources as these pertain to the military reserve.
The new scales were subjected to qualitative and quantitative methodologies to revise, refine and assess their psychometric properties. Volunteers participated in cognitive interviews (n=8), a survey to assess psychometric properties (n=98), and a comprehensive final survey (n=387). Assessment of test-retest reliability was performed at three-months post-survey (n=73).
Internal reliability measures demonstrated impressive performance by the RSSI. Alpha coefficients ranged from .81 to .92. Two scales demonstrated differences between group, as evidence of their validity. Officers scored higher on job demands, women reported lower scores on Job Control. A final test of predictive validity of the new scales examined their performance in two regression models that looked at Reserve Job Satisfaction, and Mental Health as outcomes. The Demands and Resources scales were significantly associated with both dependent variables in models that included demographic and other characteristics. Social Support predicted level of mental health. Control was not retained in the stepwise model. Test-retest results for all scales showed reliability coefficients > .71.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Stress, Occupational Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: This research was sponsored by the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences; however, the information or content and conclusions do not necessarily represent the position or policy of, nor should any official endorsement be inferred by, the Un
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: Officer in US Army Reserve, DOD funded research