Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10)

The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) is a widely used tool to measure perceived psychological distress. It is a valid and reliable self-assessment questionnaire that measures the extent to which respondents perceive their lives to be unpredictable, uncontrollable and overloaded. The PSS contains 10 questions that ask about the respondent’s feelings and thoughts over the past month. Because stress levels are affected by daily hassles, significant events, and changes in coping, the predictive validity of the PSS declines rapidly after four to eight weeks.

Length of completion

The entire questionnaire takes approximately 5 minutes to complete.

Individualized feedback to the respondent

By completing the questionnaire, the respondent will find out the level of stress experienced and how it compares to the population.

Keywords

PSS-10, perceived stress scale, stress, psychological stress, stress level

Scoring and interpretation

Before calculating the total score, it is necessary to convert the positively worded items of the questionnaire into reverse scores (these are items 4, 5, 7 and 8). Summing the scores for all items yields a score from 0 to 40, with higher scores indicating higher levels of subjectively perceived stress.

Response Scale

Subjects respond on a five-point Likert-type scale, with 0 = never, 1 = almost never, 2 = sometimes, 3 = quite often, and 4 = very often.

References

Buršíková Brabcová, D., & Kohout, J. (2018). Psychometrické ověření české verze Škály vnímaného stresu. E-psychologie, 12(1), 37-52. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.29364/epsy.311

Cohen, S., Kamarck, T., & Mermelstein, R. (1983). A Global Measure of Perceived Stress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 24(4), 385–396. https://doi.org/10.2307/2136404

Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). (2021). NovoPsych. Retrieved February 27, 2023, from https://novopsych.com.au/assessments/well-being/perceived-stress-scale-pss-10/

Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). (2021). CORC. Retrieved February 27, 2023, from https://novopsych.com.au/assessments/well-being/perceived-stress-scale-pss-10/