Perceived Stress Scale

The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) is a widely used instrument to measure perceived psychological stress. It is a valid and reliable self-assessment questionnaire that determines the extent to which respondents perceive their life as 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 influenced by daily hassles, significant events, and changes in stress management, the predictive validity of the PSS declines rapidly after four to eight weeks.

Length of filling

Filling out the entire questionnaire will take approximately 5 minutes.

Individualized feedback for the respondent

By filling out the questionnaire, the respondent will find out the experienced level of stress and its comparison with 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 a reverse score (these are items 4, 5, 7 and 8). By summing the points for all items, we obtain a score from 0 to 40, where a higher score indicates a higher degree of subjectively perceived stress.

Response scale

Probands 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/