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

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. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.