Three Versions of the Perceived Stress Scale: Psychometric Evaluation in a Nationally Representative Sample of Chinese Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Zhuang She, Dan Li, Wei Zhang, Ningning Zhou, Juzhe Xi and Kang Ju
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Zhuang She: Shanghai Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Psychological Crisis Intervention, Affiliated Mental Health Center (ECNU), School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
Dan Li: Shanghai Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Psychological Crisis Intervention, Affiliated Mental Health Center (ECNU), School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
Wei Zhang: Mental Health Center, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430074, China
Ningning Zhou: Shanghai Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Psychological Crisis Intervention, Affiliated Mental Health Center (ECNU), School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
Juzhe Xi: Shanghai Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Psychological Crisis Intervention, Affiliated Mental Health Center (ECNU), School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
Kang Ju: Shanghai Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Psychological Crisis Intervention, Affiliated Mental Health Center (ECNU), School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 16, 1-9

Abstract: (1) Background: The COVID-19 outbreak has created pressure in people’s daily lives, further threatening public health. Thus, it is important to assess people’s perception of stress during COVID-19 for both research and practical purposes. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) is one of the most widely used instruments to measure perceived stress; however, previous validation studies focused on specific populations, possibly limiting the generalization of results. (2) Methods: This study tested the psychometric properties of three versions of the Chinese Perceived Stress Scale (CPSS-14, CPSS-10, and CPSS-4) in the Chinese general population during the COVID-19 pandemic. A commercial online survey was employed to construct a nationally representative sample of 1133 adults in Mainland China (548 males and 585 females) during a one-week period. (3) Results: The two-factor (positivity and negativity) solution for the three versions of the CPSS showed a good fit with the data. The CPSS-14 and CPSS-10 had very good reliability and the CPSS-4 showed acceptable reliability, supporting the concurrent validity of the CPSS. (4) Conclusions: All three versions of the CPSS appear to be appropriate for use in research with samples of adults in the Chinese general population under the COVID-19 crisis. The CPSS-10 and CPSS-14 both have strong psychometric properties, but the CPSS-10 would have more utility because it is shorter than the CPSS-14. However, the CPSS-4 is an acceptable alternative when administration time is limited.

Keywords: Chinese Perceived Stress Scale; reliability; validity; general population; COVID-19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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