Development of the Russian version of the Copenhagen psychosocial questionnaire COPSOQ III and its adaptation in various occupational groups

Introduction. The presence of psychosocial risks at work is associated with problems of psycho-emotional and somatic health of workers. Currently in the Russian Federation, there are no validated tools for assessing and managing psychosocial risk that meet international standards.

The purpose of the study. linguistic and cultural adaptation of the Russian version of the Copenhagen psychosocial questionnaire COPSOQ III, including testing of employees in various occupational fields.

Materials and methods. In accordance with international standards and rules of the COPSOQ International Network, there was carried out a procedure for linguistic and cultural adaptation of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire which included several stages: direct translation of all questions (146 items) of COPSOQ III from English into Russian; the formation of two independent direct translation options, on the basis of which the experts of the national group formed a preliminary Russian version of COPSOQ III; reverse translation of the preliminary version and harmonization of translations; discussion and formation of national versions of COPSOQ III (short, medium and long); creation of a test medium (standard) version of COPSOQ in Russian; surveying and interviewing employees of institutions of the Federal Service for Supervision in Protection of the Rights of Consumer and Man Wellbeing for COPSOQ testing; approval of the final version of COPSOQ III in Russian.

Results. In the process of linguistic and cultural adaptation, there was formed the final version of the COPSOQ III questionnaire in Russian, equivalent to the original and corresponding to the ethnolinguistic features of the population. As part of the creation of the Russian-language version of the COPSOQ III questionnaire, it was tested by two hundred ninety employees of institutions of the Federal Service for Supervision in Protection of the Rights of Consumer and Man Wellbeing in the Moscow region. Based on the results of a survey and interviews with employees, acceptable indicators of external validity and usability of the Russian version of the tool were established.

Limitations. The occupational groups studied are limited to voluntary research participants, the range of problems studied is limited to the questions of the questionnaire, quantitative and qualitative parameters: 290 respondents, departmental affiliation and features of corporate culture: employees of institutions of the Federal Service for Supervision in Protection of the Rights of Consumer and Man Wellbeing, sociocultural features: subjective perception of the questions and respondents’ doubts about the anonymity and confidentiality of the study.

Conclusion. In accordance with international rules and standards, in the process of linguistic and cultural adaptation, a Russian version of the COPSOQ III questionnaire has been developed. To use the Russian version of COPSOQ III in domestic practice and scientific research, it is necessary to assess its psychometric properties, objectivity, reliability, and specificity as part of the validation procedure.

Compliance with ethical standards. The protocol for linguistic and cultural adaptation of the COPSOQ III questionnaire was approved by local ethics committee of the F.F. Erisman Federal Research Center for Hygiene dated January 10, 2023 N 1-A.

Contribution:
Novikova A.V. — concept and design of the study, collection and processing of material, analysis and interpretation of results, review of literature, preparation of the manuscript project;
Perevezentseva A.S. — concept and design of the study, collection and processing of material, analysis and interpretation of results, review of literature, preparation of the manuscript project;
Shirokov V.A. — concept and design of the study, collection and processing of material, analysis and interpretation of results, review of literature, preparation of the manuscript.
All authors are responsible for the integrity of all parts of the manuscript and approval of the manuscript final version.

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgement. The study had no sponsorship. The study was carried out within the framework of the research project “Development of methodological approaches to substantiate the management of the risks of developing psycho-emotional disorders in workers under conditions of increased labor stress” (applied),
reg. No. PTNI 10230328001561-3.3.10, 20242025.

Received: December 08, 2023 / Revised: December 25, 2023 / Accepted: february 9, 2024 / Published: March 15, 2024