Assessment of the Demand Control Support Questionnaire's dimensional structure among public Brazilian school teachers.

Objetives: While the Demand Control Support Questionnaire -- DCSQ, is a widely used instrument for assessing job strain, it presents some inconsistencies regarding the psychometric properties. The study aimed to evaluate the internal consistency and convergent validity of the scale to identify the items that best describe the dimensions of the demand-control model among teachers. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 842 teachers from public schools in a municipality in southern Brazil, with the objective of investigating the dimensional structure, internal consistency and convergent validity of the short version of the DCSQ in Brazilian Portuguese. To evaluate the structure of the DCSQ, four confirmatory factor analyses were performed: the original model, an alternative model from previous validation studies, and two models suggested by the exploratory factor analysis. Internal consistency was assessed using composite reliability, and convergent validity was assessed using average variance extracted. Results: The best-fit model comprised three dimensions: psychological demands, skill discretion and decision authority. It also included a correlation between the residuals of 'fast work' and 'intense work' items and the loading of 'learning new things' item in the psychological demands dimension. In addition, the item 'repetitive work', which was in the skill discretion dimension, and the social support dimension were removed from this model. Except for skill discretion, composite reliability was satisfactory for all dimensions. Few modification indices remained in this model. Conclusions: Considering the controversies surrounding the items in the skill discretion dimension, caution is advised when applying the demand-control model in teaching contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]