The effort-reward-imbalance questionnaire in Sinhalese: Translation, validation, and psychometric properties in administrators

Abstract

This study translated and validated the Effort-Rewards-Imbalance questionnaire among Sri-Lankan government administrators. A standard translation procedure was followed in translating the Effort-Rewards-Imbalance questionnaire to Sinhala language. Modified-Delphi process determined judgmental validity. A descriptive crosssectional survey was conducted to assess the construct validity of the translated Effort- Rewards-Imbalance questionnaire. Judgmental validity was achieved. Satisfactory test-retest reliability and internal consistency were obtained. The three subscales namely efforts, rewards and over commitment had Cronbach's alpha coefficients of 0.80, 0.84 and 0.60 respectively. Four competitive models were explored. The theoretically postulated factor structure obtained the best fit according to chi-square values and goodness-of-fit indices. The 22-item Effort-Rewards-Imbalance questionnaire is an acceptable, reliable, valid self-report measure in assessing occupational stress among administrators in Sri Lanka.