Objectives. The aim of this study was to create a Czech translation of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), to assess its psychometric properties on a representative sample of the Czech general adult population, and to compare the original 14-item version (PSS-14) with the shortened 10-item (PSS-10) and four-item (PSS-4) versions. Sample and setting. Two pilot studies were conducted to create the final Czech translation of the scale (n = 365 and n = 420). The final version of the Czech PSS was administered to a sample of the Czech general adult population (n = 1725 of whom 981 were women, M = 44.32, SD = 12.8). The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) or the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) were administered alongside the PSS to a part of the sample. A retest measurement after 14 days was conducted (n = 159). Statistical analysis. Using the confirmatory factor analysis, the one-factor, two-factor and bifactor models were compared. The internal consistency, stability in time, and convergent validity of the scale, as well as the known-group differences, were assessed. The three versions of the PSS were compared. Results. The confirmatory factor analysis supported the bifactor model of the PSS-14 and PSS-10, and the two-factor model of the PSS-4. All versions of the scale showed good internal consistency and stability in time. There was a moderate to strong positive correlation between the PSS and the BDI-II and STAI. Differences based on age, sex, education level, and situational factors were found. Overall, the PSS-10 showed the best psychometric properties of all three versions of the scale. Study limitation. The sample consisted mostly of highly educated respondents.

Objectives. Religiosity and spirituality (R/S) are associated with many dimensions of human life and could contribute to one’s self-esteem; however, there is no certainty that this is also applicable to non-religious countries. Therefore, the aim of the study was to explore the association of different aspects of R/S with self-esteem in a secular environment. Participants and setting. An online sample of 464 Czech respondents aged 15 and over (mean age 30.7; SD=12.63; 27.2% men) participated in the survey. Self-esteem, religiosity, religious attendance, frequency of prayer, negative religious coping, image of God and spirituality were measured. Results. Regular prayer, spirituality (per standard deviation, SD), a low level of religious struggles (per SD) and a positive God image (per SD) were associated with higher self-esteem, with odds ratios ranging from 1.28 to 2.16 (p˂0.05 to p˂0.001). In contrast, compared to non-religious respondents, religious respondents had an approximately 60% lower chance of having a high level of self-esteem (p˂0.05). However, a combination of R and S showed that while religious/spiritual respondents did not differ significantly from non-religious respondents, religious/non-spiritual respondents had approximately 79% lower chance of having good self-esteem (p˂0.001). Study limitations. The main limitation of this study is that it did not reach a representative sample, which limits the generalizability of the findings to the whole population. This is also the first study using this kind of research approach, which, however, limits the interpretation of results. Moreover, it is a cross-sectional study, so any conclusions on causality cannot be made, and the questionnaire used only self-report measures, which could be influenced by a social desirability bias.