Description

The Swedish Demand-Control-Support Questionnaire (SDCSQ) is a psychometric instrument based on the Demand-Control-Support (DCS) model, developed to assess the relationship between occupational demands, the level of control employees have over their work, and the social support they receive within the workplace.

The questionnaire focuses on three fundamental dimensions of the psychosocial work environment: Job Demands, Job Control, and Social Support. Job demands refer to workload, work intensity, and time pressures; job control concerns autonomy and decision-making capacity; and social support refers to assistance and support provided by colleagues and supervisors.

Objective

The main objective of the SDCSQ is to evaluate how workplace demands, employees’ perceived control over their work, and available social support influence occupational stress, health, and overall employee well-being.

The questionnaire is widely used in occupational health research to identify psychosocial risk factors in the workplace and to examine factors that contribute to job strain, motivation, and professional well-being.

Structure and Content

The SDCSQ assesses three main components of the work environment:

Job Demands: Evaluates workload, work intensity, deadlines, and psychological pressures associated with job responsibilities.

Job Control: Measures autonomy, freedom in decision-making, and the employee’s ability to influence the way work is performed.

Social Support: Examines the level of support received from colleagues and management, including cooperation, communication, and perceived assistance.

Scoring Method

The questionnaire includes items corresponding to the three main dimensions of the Demand-Control-Support model. Responses are typically rated using a Likert scale ranging from 1 = Strongly Disagree to 5 = Strongly Agree.

Separate scores are calculated for each dimension. These scores are then analysed to determine levels of occupational demands, perceived control, workplace support, and overall psychosocial work stress.

Higher job demand scores indicate increased workload and pressure, whereas higher control and support scores indicate greater autonomy and stronger workplace resources.

Data Analysis and Use

The SDCSQ data can be analysed using descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, factor analysis, and comparative methods.

The instrument is used in occupational psychology, organizational research, and public health studies to investigate the relationship between psychosocial working conditions and outcomes such as stress, burnout, job satisfaction, mental health, and cardiovascular risk.

It can also support organizational interventions aimed at improving workplace conditions by identifying areas where workload reduction, increased autonomy, or enhanced social support may be needed.

Validity and Reliability

The SDCSQ is based on the well-established Demand-Control-Support model, which has been extensively applied in occupational health research. The model has demonstrated significant associations between psychosocial work conditions and employee health outcomes.

Research has supported the importance of examining the interaction between job demands, decision latitude, and workplace support when evaluating occupational stress.

References

Karasek, R. A., & Theorell, T. (1990). Healthy Work: Stress, Productivity, and the Reconstruction of Working Life. New York: Basic Books.

Karasek, R. A. (1979). Job demands, job decision latitude, and mental strain: Implications for job redesign. Administrative Science Quarterly, 24(2), 285–308.

Theorell, T., & Karasek, R. A. (1996). Current issues relating to psychosocial job strain and cardiovascular disease research. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 1(2), 9–26.

Stansfeld, S., & Candy, B. (2006). Psychosocial work environment and mental health—a meta-analytic review. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health, 32(6), 443–462.

Häusser, J. A., Mojzisch, A., & Niesel, M. (2010). The role of job demands and job control in the experience of stress: A meta-analysis. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 15(4), 384–404.