Over the years, I have been involved in the development of many different psychometric tests. Perhaps the best known and most used are the Stress Arousal Checklist (SACL) and the General Well-Being Questionnaire (GWBQ).
Usage
Both tests are in the public domain and there is no charge for their use. However, users are, however, required to agree in writing, email is acceptable, to the following conditions:
Conditions of Use
- The tests are not used for commercial purposes.
- The tests are only used for research excluding the profiling and/or selection of individuals.
- The tests are used in their published form and are not changed or amended and not republished without the authors’ involvement.
- The papers and reports that are associated with the use of the tests appropriately and fairly acknowledge the intellectual ownership of the tests and properly reference them.
- The researchers explain in writing how the tests are being used and for what purpose.
- The data collected with the tests is shared through our databases as normative data.
- I am provided with copies of all publications which are based on the use of the tests.
No Liability
As author of the tests, I take no responsibility or recognise any liability in connection with their use by others howsoever this is framed.
The Stress Arousal Checklist
The SACL is a short mood adjective checklist originally developed with Mackay. It has two scales which assess the experience of stress (as negative hedonistic tone) and that of arousal (as activation and alertness). The scoring of current experience and feelings is on a 4 point scale adjusted for the direction of measurement in relation to the scale concept (eg stress + or stress -). The scale points are: definitely feel, feel, unsure and do not feel. The scale is dichotomised and the items are scored, in the direction of the scale concept, as 0 or 1. Item scores are then summed. The Cronbach’s alphas for both scales have been variously reported in the range of 0.80-0.90.
The SACL has been widely used in both experimental and field research. Normative data are available. The preferred original references are:
Mackay, C.J., Cox, T., Burrows, G.C., and Lazzarini, A.J. (1978) An inventory for the measurement of self-reported stress and arousal. British Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 17, 283-284.
Cox, T., and Mackay, C.J. (1985) The measurement of self-reported stress and arousal. British Journal of Psychology, 76, 183-186.
The General Well-Being Questionnaire
The GWBQ is a short symptom checklist developed for use with people of working age. It assesses general malaise on the basis of the frequency with which general and non specific symptoms of feeling unwell are reported. It has two scales: the experience of being worn-out (tired, emotionally labile and confused) and of being tense (anxious, nervy and physically uptight). The scoring is based on a 5 point frequency scale from not at all (0) through all the time (4). Item scores are summed. The Cronbach’s alphas for both scales have been variously reported in the range of 0.80-0.90.
The GWBQ has been widely used and in both experimental and field research. Normative data are available. The preferred original references are:
Cox, T., Thirlaway, M., Gotts, G., and Cox, S. (1983) the nature and assessment of general well-being. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 27, 353-359.
Cox, T., Thiralway, M., and Cox, S. (1984) Occupational well-being: sex differences at work. Ergonomics, 27, 499-510.
More Information
More information on both scales can be found in Wilson and Corlett (1995) and in later versions of that book. Both scales have been translated into languages other than English.
Cox, T., and Griffiths, A. (1995) The nature and measurement of work stress: theory and practice. In: JR Wilson and EN Corlett (eds) Evaluation of Human Work. London: Taylor & Francis. 783-803.
Professor Thomas Cox CBE 