Scale Analysis

The Perceived Stress Scale [PSS-14] was developed by Cohen and colleagues in 1983, consisting of 14 questions related to how stressful the past month has been.

Purpose of the Scale

The purpose of the scale is to record and assess stressful events in the lives of respondents. It is used by researchers (psychologists) in the general population and more specifically among employees.

Scale Scoring

The scale consists of 14 questions, which are rated according to a 5-point Likert-type scale.

Statistical Analysis of the Scale

Respondents can answer each question by choosing one of the 5 possible options, using numbers from 0 (never) to 4 (very often). Seven of the questions are positively stated and scored from 4 to 0, while the remaining seven are negatively stated and scored from 0 to 4. The total score is obtained by summing the responses, ranging from 0 to 56, with higher scores indicating higher stress levels.

Validity and Reliability of the Scale

The PSS-14 has been translated into Greek and used in research in Greece by Katsarou et al. (2004). The study showed good reliability in terms of internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.84).

References

Foreign literature

Katsarou, A., Panagiotakos, D., Zafeiropoulou, A., Vryonis, M., Skoularigis, I., Tryposkiadis, F., & Papageorgiou, C. (2012). Validation of a Greek version of PSS-14; a global measure of perceived stress. Cent Eur J Public Health, 20(2), 104–109.
Shi, C., Guo, Y., Ma, H., & Zhang, M. (2019). Psychometric validation of the 14-item perceived stress scale in Chinese medical residents. Current Psychology, 38(6), 1428–1434.
Greek literature
Batzios, Ch. (2021). Investigation of occupational stress and job satisfaction among employees in Local Government Organizations of the First Degree during the COVID-19 pandemic.