Psychometric Properties of the Algerian-Standardised Psychological Hardiness Scale Developed By Bashir Maamria Among Victims of Occupational Accidents at Sonatrach: An Exploratory And Confirmatory Factor Analysis Study

Abstract

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Psychological Hardiness Scale in an Algerian context. The scale was originally developed by Imad Mohamed Ahmed Makhimr in 2002, and subsequently adapted and standardised by Bashir Maamria for use with a specific sample of workers who had been victims of occupational accidents at Sonatrach. The study was motivated by the need to verify the extent to which the instrument retains its factorial structure and degree of internal consistency when applied to individuals in a high-risk occupational context who have previously experienced occupational accidents.

The descriptive psychometric method was adopted for the study, which was conducted on a purposive sample of 120 workers who had been victims of occupational accidents. Data were analysed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), as well as Cronbach’s alpha coefficient to assess internal consistency. Exploratory factor analysis showed that the Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin (KMO) measure reached 0.792 and Bartlett’s test of sphericity yielded a value of χ² = 1452.32 with 435 degrees of freedom at a significance level of p < 0.001. This indicates that the data are suitable for factor analysis. The analysis yielded a three-factor structure representing the dimensions of commitment, control and challenge. These factors collectively explained 62% of the total variance, with factor loadings for the reported items ranging from 0.654 to 0.782.

Confirmatory factor analysis revealed good model-fit indices for the three-dimensional model: a chi-squared to degree of freedom ratio of 1.86; a comparative fit index (CFI) of 0.93; an incremental fit index (IFI) of 0.92; and a Tucker–Lewis index (TLI) of 0.91. The root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) was 0.058. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients also indicated good internal consistency, with values of 0.81, 0.79, 0.76 and 0.84 for the commitment, control, challenge and total scores, respectively. Within the limits of the examined sample and context, these findings support the validity of the scale’s three-factor structure and its degree of internal consistency among victims of occupational accidents in the industrial organisation under study.