Stress, Cognitive Appraisal and Psychological Health: Testing Instruments for Health Professionals

Abstract

The job of health professionals, including nurses, is considered inherently stressful, and thus, it is important to improve and develop specific measures that are sensitive to the demands that health professionals face. This study analysed the psychometric properties of three instruments that focus on the professional experiences of nurses in aspects related to occupational stress, cognitive appraisal and mental health issues. The evaluation protocol included the Stress Questionnaire for Health Professionals (SQHP), the Cognitive Appraisal Scale (CAS) and the General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12). Validity and reliability issues were considered with statistical analysis (i.e., confirmatory factor analysis, convergent validity and composite reliability) that revealed adequate values for all of the instruments, namely a six-factor structure for the SQHP, a five-factor structure for the CAS and a two-factor structure for the GHQ-12. In conclusion, this study proposes three consistent instruments that may be useful for analysing nurses' adaptation to work contexts.

Drive for Muscularity and Disordered Eating Behavior in Males: the Mediating Role of Cognitive Appraisal

“…Primary and Secondary Cognitive Appraisal Scale (PSCAS; Gomes and Teixeira, 2016). For the purpose of this study, dimensions of primary cognitive appraisal were used.…”

Stress and Psychological Health

“…For each scale, the score was Cognitive Appraisal Scale (CAS). The CAS (Gomes & Teixeira, 2016) evaluates the primary and secondary processes of cognitive appraisal. Primary cognitive appraisal was assessed with the following three dimensions: (a) work importance (e.g., "My job .…”

“…Therefore, it becomes important to analyze the processes of cognitive appraisal, namely, how nurses evaluate their work activity and the coping resources and control they possess to manage work problems. In this study, the Cognitive Appraisal Scale (CAS; Gomes & Teixeira, 2016) was used to evaluate primary cognitive appraisal (e.g., work importance, threat perception, and challenge perception) and secondary cognitive appraisal (e.g., coping potential and control perception).…”

Parental Behavior, Cognitive Appraisal, and Motivation in Young Athletes

“…However, due high modification indexes and low regression weights, five items were removed from the version for the father and three items from the version for the mother. Gomes & Teixeira, 2016). Cognitive appraisal refers to how a person evaluates his/her transactions with the environment, revealing the personal meaning and significance attributed to a potentially stressful event (Lazarus, 1999).…”