Measuring spirituality in South Africa : validation of instruments developed in the USA
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Date
Authors
Van der Walt, Freda
De Klerk, J.J. (Jeremias Jesaja)
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Informa Healthcare
Abstract
Spirituality is receiving increased attention in the context of the workplace. Research consistently shows that spirituality is significantly correlated with mental health and well-being. Most of the research on spirituality, particularly in the context of the workplace, is conducted with instruments developed in the USA. However, the inter-cultural measurement of constructs remains a concern, because instruments developed in one culture are not necessarily transferable to another culture. In the current study, the transferability of two spiritual measures developed in the USA, namely the Human Spirituality Scale (HSS) and the Organizational Spirituality Values Scale (OSVS) are considered for a sample from South Africa. The results confirm the construct validity of the HSS and the OSVS, but indicate that the factor structures of the HSS and the OSVS should be analysed and reconfirmed when used, particularly in a South African sample. The study provides evidence that the HSS and the OSVS cannot be transferred indiscriminately to a South African sample. This insight contributes to the quality of future research studies in South Africa, not only on the important aspect of spirituality, but also when applying instruments developed elsewhere in the world.
Description
Keywords
South Africa (SA), United States (US), Workplace spirituality, Spirituality in the workplace, Cross-cultural measurement, Psychometric instruments, Measuring instruments
Sustainable Development Goals
Citation
Van der Walt, F & De Klerk, JJ 2014, 'Measuring spirituality in South Africa : validation of instruments developed in the USA ', International Review of Psychiatry, vol. 26, no. 3, pp. 368-378.