Association between migraine and workplace social support in the social context of China: Using a validated Chinese version of the DCSQ

• Main Authors: Wei, Du, Chang, Yue, Lu, Xiaolong, Fan, Xingying, Hu, Jiaqi, Manta, Otilia, Kaabar, Mohammed K. A.
• Format: Article
• Published: MDPI 2023
• Subjects: R Medicine (General)
• Online Access: http://eprints.um.edu.my/39131/
• Institution: Universiti Malaya

Background: Workplace social support might have a protective function against migraine in the social context of China, as close co-worker relationships and collectivism are acknowledged as work values in Chinese society. Objectives: This paper aimed to analyse the association between migraine and workplace social support. The validity and reliability of the Chinese version of the Support scale of the Demand-Control-Support Questionnaire (DCSQ) used were also determined. Methods: Following international guidelines, this study was carried out in two stages. Stage I involved translations and pilot testing to assess content and face validity of the Chinese version of the DCSQ Support scale. Stage II was a cross-sectional survey (N = 677 bank employees) to evaluate structural validity, internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the Support scale, as well as to examine the association between workplace social support and a migraine-positive diagnosis. Results: A high level of social support in the workplace was associated with a 74% decreased likelihood of migraine (adjusted OR = 0.26, 95%CI: 0.14-0.46). Of the six aspects of workplace social support, co-worker support had the greatest protective effect (adjusted OR = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.39-0.60). The Chinese version of the DCSQ Support scale established satisfactory content and face validity (I-CVIs >= 0.78; S-CVIAVE >= 0.90). Confirmatory factor analysis verified its one-dimensional theoretical factor, with adequate internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha 0.98; item-total correlations >= 0.80) and test-retest reliability (weighted Kappa coefficients 0.81-0.87; percentages agreement 85.23-88.92%). Conclusions: In the Chinese social context, workplace social support could protect against migraine, with the strongest benefit coming from co-workers. This study also provides a Chinese-language DCSQ Support scale as a valid and reliable instrument for measuring workplace social support.