The Job Insecurity Appraisal Scale (JIAS-12). A mixed-methods approach to increase content validity.

Purpose: Job insecurity (JI) has been defined as a stressor which negatively affects both 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 JI appraisals is critical. This study aims to increase content validity of the JI Appraisal Scale (JIAS-12), a 12-item scale measuring JI appraisal either as a challenge or as a hindrance in a cross-national perspective. Methodology: Eighty-seven adult participants from the U.S. and Italy were involved in two studies: study 1 dealt with a quantitative assessment of comprehensibility level of scale’s items; while in study 2 we ran some cognitive interviews with a subgroup of the target population, aimed to understand the cognitive processes involved in answering less understandable items. Eventually, a team of experts proposed a rewording for the less understandable items, based off of the interviews’ results. Results: Six out of 12 of the original JIAS-12 items showed medium to low level of comprehensibility, in both English and Italian versions. The cognitive interview study allowed us to better understand items’ weakness, and a new wording was proposed by the experts team. Limitations: Future research should quantitatively verify whether the new items’ wording will increase their comprehensibility. 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.