MEASURING JOB INSECURITY APPRAISALS: DEVELOPMENT AND STANDARDIZATION OF THE JIAS-6

Purpose: Job insecurity (JI) has been defined as a stressor that negatively affects individuals and organizations. Appraisal of JI as a challenge or a hindrance may thus moderate the relationship between JI and its outcomes. Therefore, having a good instrument for assessing these appraisals has become critical. This study aims to validate the JI Appraisal Scale (JIAS-6), a 6-item scale measuring JI appraisal as a challenge or hindrance. Methodology: Participants (N=288) were asked to complete a questionnaire that included an earlier version of the scale (JIAS-20; Bazzoli et al., 2017). From the pool of 20 items, authors ran several CFAs in order to identify the items that saturated the most on the challenge and hindrance dimensions. This process led to a 6-item scale. Results: The best model, among those tested, turned out to be a correlated model with two dimensions (i.e., challenge and hindrance). Challenge and hindrance internal consistency reliability values were .89 and .80, respectively. Goodness of fit indices were good (X2 (8) = 15.423, p. = .051; RMSEA = .05; CFI = .992; TLI = .984). Limitations: No criterion-related validity is tested at this point. The nomological net should also be tested. Practical Implications: This study is a critical step of the validation process of a new instrument useful for both academics and practitioners, since the measurement of JI appraisals will add in our understanding of JI and its consequences. Originality: Drawing from previous attempts to validate the JIAS, this study is a milestone in the standardization process.