Development, Validation and Reliability Assessment of Stress, Career Adaptability, and Career Resilience (C-A-RE) Module for University Support Staff in the Malaysian Sandwich Generation

The sandwich generation which is, individuals who are simultaneously caring for dependent children and ageing parents, face significant psychological, career, and economic challenges, particularly among university support staff in Malaysia. Despite the increasing recognition of these challenges, evidence-based interventions tailored for this population remain uncommon. The aim of this study was to develop and psychometrically evaluate the C-A-RE (Stress, Career Adaptability and Career Resilience) module, an integrated intervention targeting stress, career adaptability and career resilience among sandwich generation workers. The C-A-RE module was developed using the Sidek Module Development Model (SMDM), which incorporates theoretical foundations from Stress Appraisal and Coping Theory, Career Construction Theory and Career Motivation Theory focusing on career resilience frameworks. Content validity was assessed by an expert review of eight professionals and academics from the fields of counselling and psychology using the Content Validity Index (CVI) at both item (I-CVI) and scale (S-CVI/Ave) level. A pilot test was conducted with 17 university support staff with purposive sampling who participated in the full intervention and subsequently completed a structured questionnaire. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha coefficients. Content validity analysis revealed a high level of agreement between experts, with five of the six items achieving perfect I-CVI scores (1.00) and an overall S-CVI/Ave of 0.98, indicating excellent content validity. Reliability analysis revealed strong internal consistency across all activities, with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients between 0.913 and 0.974 for the career guidance group activities and 0.927 for the overall module. To summarise, the C-A-RE module has a strong theoretical orientation, high content validity and reliability and is a promising intervention to support the specific needs of sandwich generation university support staff.