Analysis of the C-SOSI Instrument in a 9-1-1 Telecommunicator Population

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2016-08

In 2013 an online survey was administered to 9-1-1 telecommunicators in six call centers in an effort to measure variables associated with occupational stress. The survey instrument used, the Calgary Symptoms of Stress Inventory (C-SOSI), has previously successfully measured stress in cancer patients, but had not been used to measure stress in the 9-1-1 telecommunicator population. This project reviewed the instrument, its question groupings, and applied a confirmatory factor analysis to determine if data collected from the 9-1-1 survey factored in a significant manner, as it did with the original study population of cancer patients. The question groupings did display good model fit and strong Cronbach’s alpha scores suggesting it was a valid tool to use to measure stress in the 9-1-1 telecommunicator population. Findings for individual questions within the groupings were moderate and suggests that the survey could potentially be strengthened for assessing stress in a 9-1-1 telecommunicator population if certain questions were modified or removed.