Factor Structure of the 10-Item Perceived Stress Scale and Measurement Invariance Across Genders Among Chinese Adolescents

Abstract

Background: Chinese adolescents encounter a lot of stressors, such as academic burden and parental pressure. However, little is known about their perception of stress. The 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) is a widely used instrument to measure individuals' appraisal of global stress in academic research and clinical practice. The current study aimed to evaluate the best-fit factor structure model of the PSS-10 and the measurement invariance across genders in Chinese adolescents.Methods: A total of 1,574 Chinese senior high school students completed the PSS-10 (mean age = 15.26 ± 0.56 years, female = 54%). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to determine the factor structure of the PSS-10. Multigroup CFA was carried out to test the measurement invariance of the PSS-10 across genders. A subsample (N = 1,060) answered additional questionnaires measuring stressful life events, anxiety, and depression to examine the convergent and concurrent validity of the PSS-10. Results:The two-factor model was supported [i.e., χ 2 (34) = 332.224, p < 0.001; non-normal fit index (NNFI) = 0.901, comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.925, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.075, standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) = 0.051]. Importantly, the model exhibited strong measurement invariance across female and male groups. Furthermore, the PSS-10 had adequate convergent validity for stressful life events (number: r = 0.13, p < 0.001; impact: r = 0.23, p < 0.001) and could explain incremental variance in predicting anxiety ( R 2 = 0.13, β = 0.38, p < 0.001) and depression ( R 2 = 0.16, β = 0.41, p < 0.001), suggesting excellent concurrent validity. Conclusion:A two-factor model best fits the structure of PSS-10 among Chinese adolescents, with strong measurement invariance between gender groups, demonstrating its validity for assessing perceived stress among Chinese adolescents.

Subjective Family Socioeconomic Status and Peer Relationships: Mediating Roles of Self-Esteem and Perceived Stress

“…The total score of this scale ranges from 10 to 50, and the higher the score, the higher the degree of perceived stress. In this study, the Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.79, and the scale has shown good reliability and validity in prior studies (64)(65)(66).…”

Therapeutic considerations related to stress levels associated with hand eczema: A c linico‐etiological study

“…It is known to have established and acceptable psychometric properties. 13,14,25,26 Even though PSS has been widely used in dermatology in recent years, [27][28][29][30][31] except for the study by Hafsia et al, 10 it has not been used to assess the role of stress in cases of hand eczema, and hence is underutilised. In the present study, PSS scores was calculated for all the 62 participants and it was found that 42 (67.7%) of them had increased stress scores, of which 10 (6.1%)…”

“…Contrary to other scores which measure stress based on the stressful life events that had occurred in the life of a patient, PSS is a measure of the degree to which situations in one's life are appraised as stressful. It is known to have established and acceptable psychometric properties 13,14,25,26 . Even though PSS has been widely used in dermatology in recent years, 27‐31 except for the study by Hafsia et al, 10 it has not been used to assess the role of stress in cases of hand eczema, and hence is underutilised.…”

Explanatory Model of Perceived Stress in the General Population: A Cross-Sectional Study in Peru During the COVID-19 Context

“…Therefore, when evaluating perceived stress, we are scoring a global response that depends on various personal traits such as coping mechanisms, baseline psychopathological state or personality types. However, perceived stress is a complex concept that depends on factors such as the perception of how self-effective the person is in coping with demands from the external environment and the perception of helplessness as an internal response to negative emotions and lack of control facing stress ( Liu et al, 2020 ). Different studies consider that the distinction between both dimensions represent separate components of the stress experience, so they should not be included in a single construct ( Baik et al, 2019 ; Liu et al, 2020 ).…”