Reliability and validity of instruments measuring job satisfaction--a systematic review

BACKGROUND: Although job satisfaction research has been carried out for decades, no recent overview of job satisfaction instruments and their quality is available. Aim The aim of this systematic review is to select job satisfaction instruments of adequate reliability and validity for use as evaluative tools in hospital environments. METHODS: Systematic literature searches were performed in the Medline and PsycInfo databases. First, the construct of job satisfaction was operationalized by generating work factors from both theoretical studies and meta-analyses or reviews of empirical studies on job satisfaction. Secondly, emphasis was placed on the internal consistency, construct validity and responsiveness of these instruments.Twenty-nine job satisfaction instruments were retrieved in total. RESULTS: Seven instruments met the defined reliability and validity criteria. Of the seven, the 'Measure of Job Satisfaction' had an adequate content validity. Only the 'Job in General Scale' provided data about 'responsiveness' to change. CONCLUSION: Few instruments have shown both high reliability and high validity, but little is known about their evaluative potential.