Short version of the "job stress scale": a Portuguese-language adaptation

Objective To describe the adaptation to Portuguese of the short version of the "job stress scale", originally in English. Methods We evaluate six aspects of equivalence between the original scale and the Portuguese version: conceptual, semantic, operational, item, measurement, and functional equivalences. A reliability test-retest study was conducted with 94 selected subjects. Results Reproducibility (interclass correlation coefficients) for the 'demand', 'control', and 'social support' dimensions of the scale was estimated at 0.88, 0.87, and 0.85, respectively. Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) estimates for these same dimensions were 0.79, 0.67, and 0.85, respectively. Conclusions Our results suggest that the adaptation of the scale was successful, and indicate that its use in the sociocultural context of the studied population (Pro-Saude survey) is appropriate.