Mental Stress and Strain Assessment in Digital Work: The Measurement Instrument MESTAT for Employees and Leaders

Abstract

When digitalizing work, organizations face the challenge of analyzing, evaluating, and mitigating a potential increase in mental workload for employees and managers. This paper presents an instrument to assess mental stress and strain in digital work contexts and the related development process and validation. Based on a literature and instrument review and an interview study, we developed an assessment instrument and validated it in two coordinated studies (N = 245, N = 279), ultimately resulting in an instrument with 139 items: 27 items addressing demographic aspects and 112 items dispersed over five categories (work task and activity, workflow and organizing, work environment, organizational climate, and personal attitude). To demonstrate the instrument's validity, we calculated a structural equation model based on the framework of the job demands-resources model. The resulting instrument is comprehensive and can also be applied by HR nonprofessionals.