Nübling et al. BMC Public Health 2010, 10:428 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/10/428 Page 6 of 12 Table 2 Study results for HC and GNH and COPSOQ database reference value for general Hospital Care (COPhosp) and COPSOQ database reference value total (all occupations, COPall). Scale means and standard deviations Study: HC N = 412; mean (SD) Study: GNH N = 313; mean (SD) HC vs GNH (*) COPSOQ Hosp. N = 1195; mean (SD) HC vs COPhosp (*) GNH vs COPhosp (*) COPSOQ all N = 11168; mean (SD) HC vs COPall (*) GNH vs COPall (*) Differences in means of > = 5 points are indicated by “+": study group value HC or GNH is better than COPSOQ- database reference value for nursery care (COPhosp) or COPSOQ total (COPall) or by a “-": study group value > = 5 points worse than reference value. Remark: all differences reaching or exceeding +-5 points difference are significant with p < 0.01. In the comparison of the two study groups further differences not reaching the 5-point difference but being significant with at least p < 0.01 indicated with a “sig.”. Scales and single items Demands Quantitative demands Emotional demands Demands for hiding emotions Work- privacy conflict Influence and development Influence at work Degree of freedom at work Possibilities for development Meaning of work Workplace commitment Interpersonal relations and leadership Predictability Role clarity Role conflicts Social support Feedback Social relations (quantity) Quality of leadership Sense of community Mobbing (single item) Additional scales Job insecurity Strain (effects, outcomes) Intention to leave (single item) Job satisfaction General health (single item) Personal burnout Cognitive stress symptoms Satisfaction with life scale 46 (21) 53 (19) 45 (21) 42 (29) 41 (21) 43 (21) 71 (16) 86 (14) 63 (18) 66 (21) 80 (15) 37 (20) 66 (25) 75 (20) 49 (22) 19 (26) 81 (17) 14 (21) 25 (22) 12 (18) 68 (15) 71 (19) 42 (19) 27 (18) 67 (19) 56 (19) 59 (20) 47 (23) 48 (30) 40 (22) 41 (20) 66 (21) 83 (17) 60 (22) 61 (22) 79 (17) 46 (22) 60 (25) 71 (21) 52 (24) 52 (25) 75 (19) 22 (25) 37 (25) 14 (22) 64 (17) 68 (20) 45 (20) 27 (20) 64 (21) HC + HC + HC + HC + HC + HC + HC + GNH + HC + HC + HC + sig. 57 (17) 64 (19) 51 (21) 49 (26) 41 (20) 42 (18) 70 (16) 82 (16) 56 (19) 55 (21) 78 (15) 47 (20) 55 (25) 70 (20) 45 (21) 52 (30) 77 (18) 19 (23) 33 (22) 16 (22) 62 (15) 73 (18) 45 (17) 28 (18) 66 (20) + + + + + + + + + - + + + + + + + - 59 (18) 58 (20) 48 (22) 53 (29) 45 (22) 44 (24) 69 (18) 77 (18) 56 (20) 51 (23) 74 (18) 47 (20) 47 (26) 63 (21) 39 (23) 45 (28) 74 (18) 18 (23) 26 (22) 17 (23) 62 (16) 73 (18) 43 (19) 28 (19) 65 (29) + + + + + + + + + + + - + + + + - + + + + + + + - -