Development of the Job-Related Uncertainty Stress Scale for Platform Workers

Abstract

Objectives: This study reports the development of the Job-Related Uncertainty Stress Scale for Platform Workers (JUSSPW) and examines its reliability and validity. Methods: The research was conducted in 2 phases. In Study 1, item analysis and exploratory factor analysis were conducted on data from 343 platform riders (males: 321; females: 22; mean (SD) age: 27.03 (6.67) years) in Guangzhou, China. In Study 2, an additional 391 platform riders (males: 328; females: 63; mean (SD) age: 30.36 (4.49) years) were recruited. This phase involved conducting confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and assessing criterion-related validity by using the Uncertainty Stress Scale (USS-4), Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), and Job Satisfaction Inventory (JSI). Results: The JUSSPW scale comprises 8 items under a unidimensional structure, covering 4 perspectives: work environment, interpersonal relationships, industry-specific characteristics, and personal development prospects; it explained 71.07% of the total variance. CFA results indicated that this 1-factor model provided a good fit (χ2/df = 2.681, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) = 0.066, Comparative Fit Index (CFI) = 0.987, Incremental Fit Index (IFI) = 0.987, Goodness of Fit Index (GFI) = 0.964, Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI) = 0.982). This scale also demonstrated good convergent (Average Variance Extracted (AVE) = 0.668, Composite Reliability (CR) = 0.941) and criterion validity (area under the curve = 0.935). The total score of JUSSPW was significantly positively correlated with the USS-4 and Maslach Burnout Inventory-Emotional Exhaustion (MBI-EE) scores, and remarkably negatively correlated with the JSI scores. Cronbach α and split-half reliability were .939 and 0.935, respectively. Conclusions: These results suggest that this scale shows good reliability and validity and can be used as a sound measure to capture platform workers’ job-related uncertainty stress. Limitation and implications are discussed.