The aim of this study is to evaluate the psychometric properties of the DASS-21 in a non-clinical sample of the Greek population. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scales 21 (DASS-21) is a self-report instrument measuring anxiety, depression and stress. The validation was carried out in a sample of 12,868 Greek adults, ranging from 18 to 65 years old. Results showed that the DASS21 has satisfactory reliability and validity indexes. Moreover, the factorial structure of the scale matches the ones found in previous studies in many countries. The results of this study suggest that the Greek DASS-21 can be used as a reliable and valid instrument for the measurement of depression, anxiety and stress in the Greek population.

Positive psychology focuses on the beneficial effects of positive variables in human health. Research on positive emotions has increased vastly over the last years due to the role that these variables play on psychological health. In order to cope with the increasing need for positive emotions measurement, Izard's (1977) Differential Emotions Scale (DES) was modified by Fredrickson so as to include a far wider set of positive emotions and to assist scientific research. The present study examines the psychometric qualities of the mDES in a sample of 11,422 Greek adults aging from 18 to 83 years old. Results showed satisfactory reliability levels on both subscales of the test. Factor analysis revealed a three-component solution in contrast to the two-component solution as proposed by the original standardization study. The difference in the factorial structure does not inhibit positive and negative emotions subscale scoring and may be attributed to cultural elements in the Greek population. Further implications are discussed.

This paper presents the standardization of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) in the Greek population. Self-esteem is defined as the positive or negative reflection that the individual has for himself/herself and the belief of being able to cope with the basic challenges of life. The RSES was completed by university students with a mean age of 19. Along with the RSES we administered the Health Locus of Control Scale, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Stress and Personality Self Test and the self-esteem questionnaire (Darviri & Varvogli). The results on the reliability and validity of the RSES were satisfactory as the internal reliability index crombach a was .80 and the RSES had positive statistical significant relationship with the second questionnaire of self-esteem. We also found statistically significant relationships with stress levels, health locus of control and personality types. It seems that when people attribute their good health to others, they have increased self-esteem in relation to people who attributed their good health to themselves. Furthermore our study showed that women have higher levels of self-esteem than men, an opposite outcome to the one of previous validations. The RSES Greek version is a tool that can be used for the measurement of Self-Esteem in the Greek Population.

The current study investigates how stress and self-esteem interact in a wide range of levels. Studying the recent literature of the last five years, we understood that the findings indicated that self-esteem affected stress and it was affected from stress. This interaction takes place in different levels, including personal, psychological and professional parameters. These findings point out the importance of this interaction and the necessity of use of some stress management techniques which can not only reduce stress, but also improve self-esteem. As a result, the purpose of this literature review is to examine the connection between stress and self-esteem and to use this knowledge in order to reduce stress, improve self-esteem and as a result eliminate psychological disorders and ameliorate the quality of people's life.

Studies investigating gender differences over the past two decades have produced contradictory results, with some to indicate no differences, and some suggesting that either men or women experience more psychological stress. In this study, we examine gender differences in occupational stress, taking into consideration the role of marital status, age and education. Results from a sample of 2775 professionals suggest that women experience higher levels of occupational stress than men. Nevertheless, when marital status, age and education were introduced in the equation, no significant gender differences were identified. Implications and future research directions are discussed. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.