Chapter 4. Is There Too Much Stress in Your Life?

Intro

Is There Too Much Stress in Your Life?
true

This questionnaire measures the degree to which you appraise situations in your life as stressful. There are no right or wrong answers.

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Check your health

PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE (PSS)

The questions in this scale ask you about your feelings and thoughts during the last month. In each case, you will be asked to indicate how often you felt or thought a certain way.

Question 4.1

PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE (PSS)

1. In the last month, how often have you been upset because of something that happened unexpectedly?

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2. In the last month, how often have you felt that you were unable to control the important things in your life?

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3. In the last month, how often have you felt nervous and "stressed"?

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4. In the last month, how often have you felt confident about your ability to handle your personal problems?

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5. In the last month, how often have you felt that things were going your way?

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6. In the last month, how often have you found that you could not cope with all the things that you had to do?

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7. In the last month, how often have you been able to control irritations in your life?

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8. In the last month, how often have you felt that you were on top of things?

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9. In the last month, how often have you been angered because of things that were outside of your control?

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10. In the last month, how often have you felt difficulties were piling up so high that you could not overcome them?

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{true} setModel("q1", qqMC1 )
{true} setModel("q2", qqMC2 )
{true} setModel("q3", qqMC3 )
{true} setModel("q4", qqMC4)
{true} setModel("q5", qqMC5)
{true} setModel("q6", qqMC6)
{true} setModel("q7", qqMC7)
{true} setModel("q8", qqMC8)
{true} setModel("q9", qqMC9)
{true} setModel("q10", qqMC10)
{true} setModel("total", qqMC1 + qqMC2 + qqMC3 + (4 - qqMC4) + (4 - qqMC5) + qqMC6 + (4 - qqMC7) + (4 - qqMC8) + qqMC9 + qqMC10)

Your Score

Radius / Radius/Superstock

YOUR SCORE:

{model.total}

Your Score, {model.total}, was calculated by reversing responses to the four positively stated items (items 4, 5, 7, and 8) and then summing across all scale items.

Interpreting Your Score

The PSS is not a diagnostic instrument, so there are no cut-offs; you can, however, compare your score to norms below.

Norm Groups: L. Harris Poll gathered information on 2,387 respondents in the U.S.

Norm Table for the PSS 10 item inventory

Category N Mean S.D.
Gender
Male 926 12.1 5.9
Female 1406 13.7 6.6
Age
18-29 645 14.2 6.2
30-44 750 13.0 6.2
45-54 285 12.6 6.1
55-64 282 11.9 6.9
65 & older 296 12.0 6.3
Race
white 1924 12.8 6.2
hispanic 98 14.0 6.9
black 176 14.7 7.2
other minority 50 14.1 5.0

Improve Your Health

If your score is higher than average, you might consider learning new stress reduction techniques. Activities that have been shown to reduce stress are:

  • Deep breathing and visualization
  • Progressive muscle relaxation
  • Mindful-based stress reduction
  • Exercise—try to get at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity a week (moderate activity is briskly walking)
  • Do yoga
  • Socialize with supportive friends
  • Laugh while reading or watching something; engage in a humorous conversation
  • Dance and/or listen to music
  • Engage in a hobby that you enjoy

Sources

Cohen, S., Kamarck, T., and Mermelstein, R. (1983). A global measure of perceived stress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 24(4), 385–396.

Cohen, S. and Williamson, G. (1988). Perceived stress in a probability sample of the United States. S. Spacapan & S. Oskamp (Eds.). The social psychology of health. Newbury Park, CA: SAGE.