Construct validity and reliability of the perceived stress scale for nursing students in South Africa

Abstract

Background: Increased levels of stress in nursing students are negatively related to caring behaviours and also result in poorer job proficiency and nurses who are more inclined to leave the profession. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), developed by Sheu and colleagues, is one of the most cited instruments for measuring stress and sources of stress amongst nursing students in international studies. However, it has not been widely validated for this purpose.Objectives: This research aimed to test the construct validity and reliability of the PSS for South African nursing students.Method: A cross-sectional survey was conducted at a Central South African University, and 471 of the 685 registered nursing students (68.8% response rate) participated in the study. Questionnaires were distributed and collected during classes. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to test the hypothesised six-factor latent structure and determine the construct validity of the PSS. The internal consistency of the PSS was measured using Cronbach’s alpha.Results: The model fit was a good fit and supported the six-factor latent structure as stress from (1) taking care of patients, (2) teachers and nursing staff, (3) assignments and workload, (4) peers and daily life, (5) lack of professional knowledge and skills and (6) clinical environment. Overall the PSS had a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.93.Conclusion: The results confirm the construct validity and the internal consistency of the PSS for South African nursing students.

Clinical stressors as perceived by first-year nursing students of their experience at Alexandria main university hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…As the fourth subscale consists of 6 items that measure “stress from teachers and nursing staff”, the fifth subscale comprises 3 items that measure “stress from the clinical environment”, and finally, the sixth subscale, which consists of 4 items, measures “stress from peers and daily life”. Engelbrecht (2022) reported good internal consistency reliability of 0.93, and all subscales had a Cronbach's alpha of at least 0.7, whereas the one-week test-retest stability reliability coefficient was r = 0.60.…”

Further Refinement of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale-10: Complementary Evidence from Item Response Theory and Classical Test Theory

“…The relationship between life event scores and scores on the PSS served as evidence for the tool's validity [41]. In South Africa, Engelbrecht [44] confirmed the construct validity of the scale and reported a reliability coefficient of 0.93 for the PSS.…”

Fear, stress, anxiety, depression and insomnia related to COVID-19 among undergraduate nursing students: An international survey

“…The PSS-10 version is reported to have acceptable internal consistency (α = 0.70) [ 20 ]. The PSS has undergone extensive validation in nursing students and consistently demonstrated good internal consistency, with a reported Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.93 [ 21 ]. In the current study Cronbach’s α was 0.81.…”