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. 2021 Nov 29;1(1):3.
doi: 10.1007/s44192-021-00003-w.

Digitalisation anxiety: development and validation of a new scale

Katharina F Pfaffinger  1 , Julia A M Reif  2 , Andreas K Huber  1 , Vera M Eger  1 , Melina K Dengler  1 , Jan Philipp Czakert  3 , Erika Spieß  1 , Rita Berger  3
Affiliations

Digitalisation anxiety: development and validation of a new scale

Katharina F Pfaffinger et al. Discov Ment Health. .

Abstract

The increasing spread of digital technologies and respective consequences for the way we live, work, and communicate can evoke feelings of tension and discomfort. This so-called digitalisation anxiety is related to existing and future technologies, includes the process of digitalisation in everyday life, and refers to multiple levels (the individual, organisations, and society). Existing scales measuring technology-related fears due not adequately reflect these features. Therefore, we developed the German version of the Digitalisation Anxiety Scale (DAS). Having generated items based on a qualitative interview study (Study 1, n = 26), we demonstrated the DAS's factor structure, internal consistency and construct validity in Study 2a (n = 109) and test-retest reliability in Study 2b (n = 30). In Study 3 (n = 223), the scale's structure was confirmed and correlates of digitalisation anxiety were examined. The final version of the DAS consists of 35 items with a four-factor structure (societal triggers for digitalisation anxiety, triggers related to interaction and leadership, triggers within oneself and triggers resulting from the digitalisation implementation process). Digitalisation Anxiety had negative relationships with well-being and performance. The scale allows practitioners and researchers to measure and benchmark individuals' levels of digitalisation anxiety, and to track changes over time. The scale can inform interventions aiming at reducing digitalisation anxiety and stress resulting from digitalisation.

Keywords: Digitalisation anxiety; ICT demands; Scale development.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Overview of nomological network and hypotheses. ITAS information technology anxiety scale, TINS techno-insecurity subscale of technostress scale, PSWQ Penn state worry questionnaire, H hypothesis
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Structural equation model (SEM) with relationships between digitalisation anxiety and well-being, recovery and performance indicators. βs represent standardized coefficients. Control variables are not depicted for better clarity of the results. Age is negatively related to sleep quality, gender is positively related to sleep quantity (coding of gender variable: 0 = male, 1 = female), working hours are negatively related to productivity, overtime is positively related to stress & strain and negatively related to sleep quality, and ICT use at work and at home are positively related to productivity
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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