A New Academic Quality at Work Tool (AQ@workT) to Assess the Quality of Life at Work in the Italian Academic Context

• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19063724
• Publication Date: 2022-03-21T17:24:59Z
• Authors: Margherita Brondino; Fulvio Signore; Agnese Zambelli; Emanuela Ingusci; Silvia Pignata; Amelia Manuti; Maria Luisa Gianc...; Alessandra Falco; Damiano Girardi; Dina Guglielmi; Marco Depolo; Barbara Loera; Daniela Converso; Sara Viotti; Andreina Bruno; Silvia Gilardi; Michela Cortini; Francesco Pace; Vincenza Capone; Silvia Platania; Margherita Zito; Margherita Pasini; Massimo Miglioretti; Giuseppina Dell’A...; Giuseppe Carrus; Paola Spagnoli
• Keywords: academic teaching staff; assessment tool; job demands-resources model; quality of life in academia; validation; 150; 370; Reproducibility of Result; Pilot Projects; Article; academic teaching staff; assessment tool; job demands-resources model; quality of life in academia; validation; Humans; Italy; Pilot Projects; Reproducibility of Results; Surveys and Questionnaires; Quality of Life; Settore M-PSI/06 - Psicologia del Lavoro e delle Organizzazioni; academic teaching staff; Surveys and Questionnaires; Validation; 0502 economics and business; Surveys and Questionnaire; Humans; Pilot Project; Academic teaching staff; Assessment tool; Job demands-resources model; Quality of life in academia; Validation;; validation; Academic teaching staff; Assessment tool; Job demands-resources model; Quality of life in academia; Validation; Humans; Italy; Pilot Projects; Reproducibility of Results; Surveys and Questionnaires; Quality of Life; 4. Education; Academic teaching staff; 05 social sciences; Reproducibility of Results; academic teaching staff, assessment tool, job demands-resources model, quality of life in academia, validation; job demands-resources model; quality of life in academia; validation; academic teaching staff;; Assessment tool; job demands-resources model; quality of life in academia; validation; academic teaching staff; assessment tool; job demands-resources model; Quality of life in academia; Job demands-resources model; Italy; quality of life in academia; Quality of Life; assessment tool; Human

The present study provides evidence for a valid and reliable tool, the Academic Quality at Work Tool (AQ@workT), to investigate the quality of life at work in academics within the Italian university sector. The AQ@workT was developed by the QoL@Work research team, namely a group of expert academics in the field of work and organizational psychology affiliated with the Italian Association of Psychologists. The tool is grounded in the job demands-resources model and its psychometric properties were assessed in three studies comprising a wide sample of lecturers, researchers, and professors: a pilot study (N = 120), a calibration study (N = 1084), and a validation study (N = 1481). Reliability and content, construct, and nomological validity were supported, as well as measurement invariance across work role (researchers, associate professors, and full professors) and gender. Evidence from the present study shows that the AQ@workT represents a useful and reliable tool to assist university management to enhance quality of life, to manage work-related stress, and to mitigate the potential for harm to academics, particularly during a pandemic. Future studies, such as longitudinal tests of the AQ@workT, should test predictive validity among the variables in the tool.