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Aims: Most previous prospective studies have examined workplace social capital as a resource of the individual. However, literature suggests that social capital is a collective good. In the present study we examined whether a high level of workplace aggregated social capital (WASC) predicts a decreased risk of individual-level long-term sickness absence (LTSA) in Danish private sector employees. Methods: A sample of 2043 employees (aged 18–64 years, 38.5% women) from 260 Danish private-sector companies filled in a questionnaire on workplace social capital and covariates. WASC was calculated by assigning the company-averaged social capital score to all employees of each company. We derived LTSA, defined as sickness absence of more than three weeks, from a national register. We examined if WASC predicted employee LTSA using multilevel survival analyses, while excluding participants with LTSA in the three months preceding baseline. Results: We found no statistically significant association in any of the analyses. The hazard ratio for LTSA in the fully adjusted model was 0.93 (95% CI 0.77–1.13) per one standard deviation increase in WASC. When using WASC as a categorical exposure we found a statistically non-significant tendency towards a decreased risk of LTSA in employees with medium WASC (fully adjusted model: HR 0.78 (95% CI 0.48–1.27)). Post hoc analyses with workplace social capital as a resource of the individual showed similar results. Conclusions: WASC did not predict LTSA in this sample of Danish private-sector employees.

Aims: The aim of the present paper is to present the development of the second version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ II). Methods: The development of COPSOQ II took place in five main steps: (1) We considered practical experience from the use of COPSOQ I, in particular feedback from workplace studies where the questionnaire had been used; (2) All scales concerning workplace factors in COPSOQ I were analyzed for differential item functioning (DIF) with regard to gender, age and occupational status; (3) A test version of COPSOQ II including new scales and items was developed and tested in a representative sample of working Danes between 20 and 59 years of age. In all, 3,517 Danish employees participated in the study. The overall response rate was 60.4%; (4) Based on psychometric analyses, the final questionnaire was developed; and (5) Criteria-related validity of the new scales was tested. Results: The development of COPSOQ II resulted in a questionnaire with 41 scales and 127 items. New scales on values at the workplace were introduced including scales on Trust, Justice and Social inclusiveness. Scales on Variation, Work pace, Recognition, Work-family conflicts and items on offensive behaviour were also added. New scales regarding health symptoms included: Burnout, Stress, Sleeping troubles and Depressive symptoms. In general, the new scales showed good criteria validity. All in all, 57% of the items of COPSOQ I were retained in COPSOQ II. Conclusions: The COPSOQ I concept has been further developed and new validated scales have been included.

This special issue was conceived as a tribute to Tage Sonderga urd Kristensen when he retired from the position as professor at the National Research Centre for the Working Environment to pursue a career as independent researcher and consultant. We chose the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ) as a theme, since this questionnaire was co-developed by Tage, has been the focus of his research activities for the past 10 years, and synthesizes much of his thinking about the psychosocial working environment. The COPSOQ aims to provide occupational health practitioners and researchers with a tool for assessing the psychosocial working environment that is generic in the sense that it is applicable across job groups and provides a broad and detailed description of the working environment, rather than being linked to one particular theory. The questionnaire has generated broad international interest and has so far been translated into 15 languages.

Aims: To evaluate the construct validity of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire II (COPSOQ II) by means of tests for differential item functioning (DIF) and differential item effect (DIE). Methods: We used a Danish general population postal survey (n = 4,732 with 3,517 wage earners) with a one-year register based follow up for long-term sickness absence. DIF was evaluated against age, gender, education, social class, public/private sector employment, and job type using ordinal logistic regression. DIE was evaluated against job satisfaction and self-rated health (using ordinal logistic regression), against depressive symptoms, burnout, and stress (using multiple linear regression), and against long-term sick leave (using a proportional hazards model). We used a cross-validation approach to counter the risk of significant results due to multiple testing. Results: Out of 1,052 tests, we found 599 significant instances of DIF/DIE, 69 of which showed both practical and statistical significance across two independent samples. Most DIF occurred for job type (in 20 cases), while we found little DIF for age, gender, education, social class and sector. DIE seemed to pertain to particular items, which showed DIE in the same direction for several outcome variables. Discussion: The results allowed a preliminary identification of items that have a positive impact on construct validity and items that have negative impact on construct validity. These results can be used to develop better shortform measures and to improve the conceptual framework, items and scales of the COPSOQ II. Conclusions: We conclude that tests of DIF and DIE are useful for evaluating construct validity.

Aim: To determine minimally important differences (MIDs) for scales in the first version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ). Methods: Data were taken from two separate studies: a national population survey (N = 1062), and an intervention study at 14 workplaces (N = 1505). On the basis of the population survey, the MID for each COPSOQ scale was calculated as one-half of a standard deviation (0.5 SD). For the core COPSOQ scales on ‘‘Quantitative demands’’, ‘‘Influence at work’’, ‘‘Predictability’’, ‘‘Social support (from colleagues and supervisors, respectively)’’, and ‘‘Job satisfaction’’, the MIDs were evaluated in the intervention study, where score differences for the scales were linked to the respondents’ global self-evaluation of the impact of the interventions. The scales were scored from 0 to 100 in both studies. Results: The MIDs calculated as 0.5 SD were, on average, 9.2 (range 6.8—14.9) for the long version scales, and 10.8 (range 7.6—14.9) for the medium-length version scales. The analysis of the self-evaluated changes on the scale scores for the core COPSOQ scales showed that the anchor-based estimates of MID were generally lower than 0.5 SD. Conclusions: We recommend the following MID values for the COPSOQ scales: ‘‘Quantitative demands’’, 0.3 SD; ‘‘Influence’’, 0.2 SD; ‘‘Predictability’’, 0.3 SD; ‘‘Social support from colleagues’’, 0.3 SD; ‘‘Social support from supervisor’’, 0.7 SD; and ‘‘Job satisfaction’’, 0.4 SD. For all other COPSOQ scales, where we do not have anchor-based results, we recommend the conventional MID value of 0.5 SD.

Aims: Reliabilities of the work environment questionnaire Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ) have previously been estimated by Cronbach’s alpha, but since the internal consistency assumption may not apply to all COPSOQ scales, Cronbach’s alpha may underestimate true reliability. This study aims to evaluate reliability in a test—retest design. Methods: We analyzed postal questionnaire data from 349 persons (of whom 283 were employees) who completed two forms with a median interval of 22 (range 6—65) days between baseline and follow-up. Test—retest reliabilities were estimated by the intraclass correlation (ICC). For scales where the internal consistency assumption was theoretically plausible, reliabilities were also estimated by Cronbach’s alpha and by Green’s test—retest alpha. Results: With one exception, the ICC estimated reliabilities of the COPSOQ scales were adequate or good (range 0.70—0.89). A scale concerning mutual trust between employees had a low reliability of 0.64. Among the scales where the internal consistency assumption was plausible, Cronbach’s alpha was adequate or good (0.75—0.85) for seven out of eight scales. Green’s retest alpha was adequate or good for six out of eight scales (0.72—0.81). Conclusions: Standard criteria for acceptable intraclass correlation reliability were achieved for all COPSOQ scales but one. The test—retest design and intraclass correlation appears to be more appropriate than Cronbach’s alpha for assessing the reliability of psychosocial work environment scales.

Aim: To present the theoretical framework, design, methods, and baseline findings of the first Danish study on determinants and consequences of burnout, and the impact of workplace interventions in human service work organizations. Method: A 5-year prospective intervention study comprising 2,391 employees from different organizations in the human service sector: social security offices, psychiatric prison, institutions for severely disabled, hospitals, and homecare services. Data were collected at baseline and at two follow-ups. The authors developed a new burnout tool (the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory) covering work-related, client-related, and personal burnout. The study includes potential determinants of burnout (e.g. the psychosocial work environment, social relations outside work, lifestyle factors, and personality aspects) and consequences of burnout (e.g. poor health, low job satisfaction, turnover, and absenteeism). Here, the focus is on the description of the study population at baseline, including associations of work burnout with psychosocial work environment scales and absence. Results: Response rate at baseline was 80.1%. Midwives and homecare workers had high levels on both work- and client-related burnout. Prison officers had the highest level on client-related burnout. Supervisors and office assistants had low levels on both scales. Work burnout showed the highest correlations with job satisfaction (r=-0.51), quantitative demands (r=0.48), role-conflicts (r=0.44), and emotional demands (r=0.42). Sickness absence was 13.9 vs 6.0 days among participants in the highest and lowest work burnout quartile, respectively. Conclusion: The findings indicate that study design and methods are adequate for the upcoming prospective analyses of aetiology and consequences of burnout and of the impact of workplace interventions.