Portuguese validation of the Self-Generated Stress Scale

Abstract

Introduction Self-Generated Stress might be defined as stress that is created by oneself by engaging in behavior or making decisions that ultimately add strain to pre-existing personal stress. The Self-Generated Stress Scale (SGSS; Flett et al. 2020) is a seven-item self-report measure built to assess this tendency to make one’s own life more stressful. Objectives To analyze the psychometric properties of the Portuguese Version of the SGSS. Methods Participants (127 medicine and dentistry students; 78.0% female) answered an online survey including the preliminary Portuguese version of the SGSS and other validated questionnaires: Maslach Burnout Inventory – Students Survey, Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales, HEXACO-60 and Big Three Perfectionism Scale. Results Confirmatory Factor Analysis showed that the unidimensional model presented good fit indexes (χ2/df=1.546; RMSEA=.0666, p<.001; CFI=.982 TLI=.972, GFI=.960). The Cronbach’s alfa was .868. Pearson correlations between SGSS and the other measures were significant (p<.01) and moderate/high: Burnout, .412; Stress/Anxiety/Depression, >.550; Perfectionism, .600; Emotionality, .315; Extroversion, -.411. After controlling for the effect of Emotionality and Extroversion, SGSS explained significant additional increments of 19.9% and 14.0% of the DASS and MBI variance; controlling for Perfectionism, the increments were respectively of 27.9% and 2.0%. SGSS mean score (22.96±5.90 was not significantly different by gender. Conclusions As observed with the original English-language scale, the Portuguese version of SGSS showed good validity (construct and convergent-divergent) and internal consistency. As such, the SGSS might be useful in further investigation, particularly to explore the different pathways between personality traits, emotional regulation processes and psychological distress. Disclosure No significant relationships.