1. 16th Congress on Epidemiology in Occupational Health Barcelona, September 11-14, 2002
Improvements of the psychosocial work environment on a scientific basis: The Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ)
Tage S. Kristensen
NIOH, Copenhagen
Denmark

2. Special features of the COPSOQ
Three levels of different length and complexity
National normative values
Five different kinds of job demands

3. Work environment professionals
The 3-level concept
Researchers
Work environment professionals
The workplaces

4. COPSOQ The three levels
Research questionnaire:
Questionnaire for work environment professionals:
Questionnaire for workplaces:
141 questions
30 dimensions
95 questions
26 dimensions
44 questions
8 dimensions

5. Purposes of the 3-level concept
To develop valid instruments for use at different levels
To improve communication between researchers, work
environment professionals, and the workplaces
To make national and international comparisons possible
To improve surveys of the work environment and
evaluations of interventions
To make it easier to operationalize complicated theories
and concepts

6. The philosophy of the three level concept
Empowerment of employees and workplaces
Improved quality of the work of work
environment professionals
Theory based interventions and assessments

7. Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire
Scales and number of questions at all three levels

8. COPSOQ National normative values
The national normative values of COPSOQ are
based on a representative questionnaire survey
of adult Danish employees (20-60y).
2/3 mailed questionnaire
1/3 telephone interviews
Response rate 62%
49% women
N = 1,858

9. Illustration of a few dimensions

10. Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire – Influence at work

11. Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire – Cognitive demands

12. Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire – Emotional demands

13. Examples of job profiles

14. Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire
Kindergarten teachers

15. Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire
Food industry workers

16. Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire
Drivers

17. How to use the middle size questionnaire at a workplace

18. AMI’s psychosocial questionnaire
Dimension: Influence at work
Points
100 60 50 40
Workplace
total
Departments

19. Analyses at the national level

20. Social class and possibilities for development at work
Danish Psychosocial Work Environment Study
Score
Social Class
p <
N = 1684

21. Social class and developmental work
Danish Psychosocial Work Environment Study 1
Development and growth
High 2
Cognitive demands
Stagnation and passivity 3 4
Low
Low Possibilities for development High

22. NIOH’s soft guidelines for the use of COPSOQ

23. Availability Anyone is free to use the COPSOQ concept
The short questionnaire is free
The medium size questionnaire
(including software, manual and guidelines)
can be bought for approx. $ 125
The long questionnaire is available for all
researchers

24. Soft guidelines
Never start a survey of the psychosocial working conditions unless
there is a clear intention of taking action if indicated
All respondents are anonymous
Participation is voluntary
Employees have the right to see and discuss all results
The results should be seen as a tool for dialogue and development
Management as well as supervisors and workers should participate
and be committed during the whole process.

25. In conclusion
COPSOQ is being used by researchers in several countries, including Spain, Germany, Belgium, Norway, and Sweden.
The medium size questionnaire is being used by a very large proportion of Danish work environment professionals.
The short questionnaire has been used by more than 500 workplaces and twenty thousand employees.

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