The gaslighting at work scale: Development and initial validation

Our study aimed to develop and validate a tool to measure workplace gaslighting: the Gaslighting at Work Scale (GWS). Mean age of our sample (n = 400) was 38.9 years, while 82.5% were females and 51.7% have been working in the public sector. We examined content validity, face validity, construct validity, concurrent validity and reliability of the GWS through several analyses, such as calculation of content validity ratio and item-level face validity index, item analysis, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, correlation analysis, and calculation of Cronbach’s alpha, McDonald’s Omega, Cohen’s kappa and intraclass correlation coefficient. We identified a two-factor structure for the GWS with 11 items: loss of self-trust and abuse of power. Concurrent validity of the GWS was excellent since we found significant correlations between GWS, Patient Health Questionnaire-4, Quiet Quitting Scale, Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-3, and Single Item Burnout measure. The reliability of the GWS was excellent since Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s Omega was 0.939 and 0.940, respectively. In test-retest study, intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.997. In conclusion, the GWS is a valid, short and easy-to-use tool that measures gaslighting behaviors of supervisors. Valid identification of harmful supervisor behaviors is crucial to promote subordinates’ mental health and work productivity.