Method for retrospective collection of work-related psychosocial risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders: Reliability and aggregation.

Abstract

Information on psychosocial work conditions during a 24-year period for 484 participants was collected retrospectively. Analyses were made of the interrater reliability, stability, specificity, and aggregation of data. The main finding was that it is possible to collect reliable information about psychosocial work conditions retrospectively for a long period of years when using a time ruler in a structured interview when earlier conditions are compared with the present. Interrater agreement was satisfactory for the larger part of the studied retrospective psychosocial risk factors and excellent for some of them. For most of the studied risk factors, the risk of overreporting exposure was low. The aggregation of data resulted in 2 indexes: poor social relations at work and low influence over work conditions. In conclusion, an individual time ruler works satisfactorily as a method of collecting retrospective information about psychosocial risk factors.

Appraised leadership styles, psychosocial work factors, and musculoskeletal pain among public employees

“…The questions on intensity and frequency of pain extended over a period of 3 months. Recall bias may have been present; however, with reference to previous studies on selfreported data, the validity can be considered acceptable (Bildt Thorbjörnsson et al 1999;Fredriksson et al 1998;Torgén et al 1999). This is a cross-sectional study.…”

Parents’ experiences of having a child with cleft lip and palate

“…It is also assumed that recent events are more easily recalled. However, there are studies that have shown good agreement between recalled events and official records (Baumgarten et al 1983, Martin 1987, Stewart et al 1987, Theorell et al 1999, Torbjö rnsson et al 1999). Nilsen (1992 and Ringsberg et al (2001) have used, and endorse, a technique that focuses on the reporting of important life events.…”

The nature and relative importance of students' perceptions of the sources of test anxiety

“…Although retrospective recall is a valid method to study emotion-laden events (Salovey, Sieber, Jobe, & Willis, 1994;Thorbjörnsson, Michelsen, & Kilbom, 1999), methods that assess the test-takers' experiences in real-time (such as experience sampling) would be useful to understand immediate test reactions. Indeed, real-time assessments have been used to understand other aspects of the test anxiety nomological net, such as the association between test anxiety, coping strategies and negative affect (Stowell, Tumminaro & Attarwala, 2008).…”