Measurement of Occupational Anxiety: A Scoping Review

Abstract Various measures have been employed to assess anxiety within the occupational context. To date, these measures have not been comprehensively inventoried, making it challenging for stakeholders to identify the tools that best suit their needs and to detect measurement gaps requiring attention. The present study reviewed measures of occupational anxiety used since 1980—the year anxiety disorders were formally introduced in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders . The literature search was conducted in PsycINFO, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Web of Science. Best practice guidelines from the JBI and PRISMA-ScR frameworks were applied. From an initial pool of 969 records, 216 studies qualified for review. A total of 52 measures of occupational anxiety were identified. The measures differed greatly in design (e.g., length) and scope (e.g., single versus multiple type[s] of anxiety) as well as in the sources of anxiety under scrutiny (e.g., job performance, workplace safety, digitalization of work). Cutoffs intended to flag workers with elevated levels of anxiety accompanied 19.2% of the instruments ( n = 10). However, these cutoffs lacked firm nosological anchorage and/or thorough clinical validation, rendering prevalence estimates difficult to interpret. The most widely used instruments have been the anxiety subscale of the Job Stress Scale and the Workplace Anxiety Scale. The Job Anxiety Scale, with its workplace phobia component, has also been popular. Most other scales have been used only sporadically. The characteristics of the measures available are examined to highlight areas for improvement.