Occupational Stress Indicator

What it measures

A comprehensive occupational stress measure assessing sources of workplace stress, individual differences in coping, and outcomes including job satisfaction and health indicators. Widely used in organisational psychology research and occupational health practice to identify stress hotspots in workplaces.

Response format

Likert (1–6, definitely disagree to definitely agree / never to very frequently)

Representative items

• The number of tasks I am asked to do is too great. (Sources of Pressure)
• I have too little time to do the things I feel I should be doing. (Sources of Pressure)
• I feel I am not making progress in my work. (Job Satisfaction)
• I experience physical symptoms of stress (e.g., headaches, fatigue). (Physical Health)
• I adopt effective strategies to manage work demands. (Coping)

This is a licensed instrument — representative items are shown for reference only. Obtain the original scale materials from the publisher before use in research.

Usage notes & scoring

Multiple subscale scores are the primary output. Used in workplace health audits and intervention research. Full OSI-2 includes scales for locus of control, type A behaviour, and job satisfaction. Freely available short forms are in common use.

Recommended companion scales

Citation

Robertson, I.T., Cooper, C.L., & Williams, J. (1990). The validity of the occupational stress indicator. Work & Stress, 4(1), 29–39.

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