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The Effort–Reward Imbalance Questionnaire in Sinhalese: Translation, Validation and Psychometric Properties in Administrators

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Abstract

This study translated and validated the Effort–Rewards Imbalance Questionnaire among Sri Lankan government administrators. A standard translation procedure was followed in translating the Effort–Rewards Imbalance Questionnaire to Sinhala language. Modified Delphi process determined judgmental validity. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted to assess the construct validity of the translated Effort–Rewards Imbalance Questionnaire. Judgmental validity was achieved. Satisfactory test–retest reliability and internal consistency were obtained. The three subscales namely efforts, rewards and over-commitment had Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of 0.80, 0.84 and 0.60, respectively. Four competitive models were explored. The theoretically postulated factor structure obtained the best fit according to Chi-square values and goodness-of-fit indices. The Sinhala version 22-item Effort–Rewards Imbalance Questionnaire is an acceptable, reliable and valid self-report measure in assessing occupational stress among administrators in Sri Lanka.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Professor Johannes Siegrist at University of Düsseldorf for granting permission to adopt and validate Effort–Reward Imbalance Questionnaire to the Sri Lankan context. The authors gratefully acknowledge the time and effort given by all the institutions and participants to make this study a success.

Authors’ contribution

AUG was a principal investigator and was involved in project design, data analysis and paper writing; RS was a supervisor and was involved in supervision of project design, data analysis and paper writing; FH was involved in paper writing and data analysis.

Funding

This research was supported by in part by the Non-Communicable Disease Unit, Ministry of Health Sri Lanka and Fogarty International Centre, National Institutes of Health, under Award Number: D43TW008332 (ASCEND Research Network).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ministry of Health Sri Lanka, No. 385, Rev. Baddegama Wimalawansa Thero Mawatha, Colombo 10, Sri Lanka

    A. Gamage

  2. Para-clinical Department, Faculty of Medicine General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Ratmalana 10390, Sri Lanka

    R. De Alwis Seneviratne

  3. Department of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar

    F. Hanna

Authors
  1. A. Gamage
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  2. R. De Alwis Seneviratne
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  3. F. Hanna
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to A. Gamage.

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Conflict of interest

None.

Ethics

Ethical clearance was obtained from the Ethical Review Board of Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo. Permission and consent were obtained from the Ministry of Public Administration and Home Affairs and all heads of institutions before commencement of the study.

Appendix: The Original 23-Item Effort–Rewards Imbalance Questionnaire (Siegrist et al., 2004)

Appendix: The Original 23-Item Effort–Rewards Imbalance Questionnaire (Siegrist et al., 2004)

Effort

 

ERI 1

I have constant time pressure due to a heavy work load

ERI 2

I have many interruptions and disturbances while performing my job

ERI 3

I have a lot of responsibility in my job

ERI 4

I am often pressured to work overtime.

ERI 5

My job is physically demanding

ERI 6

Over the past few years, my job has become more and more demanding

Reward

 

ERI 7

I receive the respect I deserve from my superiors

ERI 8

I receive the respect I deserve from my colleagues

ERI 9

I experience adequate support in difficult situations

ERI 10

I am treated unfairly at work

ERI 11

My job promotion prospects are poor

ERI 12

I have experienced or I expect to experience an undesirable change in my work situation

ERI 13

My employment security is poor

ERI 14

My current occupational position adequately reflects my education and training

ERI 15

Considering all my efforts and achievements, I receive the respect and prestige I deserve at work

ERI 16

Considering all my efforts and achievements, my job promotion prospects are adequate

ERI 17

Considering all my efforts and achievements, my salary/income is adequate

Over-commitment

 

OC 1

I get easily overwhelmed by time pressures at work.

OC 2

As soon as I get up in the morning I start thinking about work problems.

OC 3

When I get home, I can easily relax and ‘switch off’ work

OC 4

People close to me say I sacrifice too much for my job

OC 5

Work rarely lets me go, it is still on my mind when I go to bed

OC 6

If I postpone something that I was supposed to do today I’ll have trouble sleeping at night

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Gamage, A., De Alwis Seneviratne, R. & Hanna, F. The Effort–Reward Imbalance Questionnaire in Sinhalese: Translation, Validation and Psychometric Properties in Administrators. Psychol Stud 61, 96–102 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12646-016-0355-9

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