Determining Factors for Stress Perception Assessed with the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-4) in Spanish and Other European Samples
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Objective: Stress perception depends on cultural and social aspects that vary from one country to another. One of the most widely disseminated methods of assessing psychological stress is the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-4). Therefore, in order to identify these factors and their impact on mental health, the present study compares the PSS-4 results among three European countries (Great Britain, France and Spain). This study focuses on PSS-4 results within a Spanish sample to determine: (1) normative data, reliability and validity of PSS-4 in a Spanish sample and (2) how stress perception changes depending on cultural and social factors. Methods: The data were obtained from a website representing a service of a smoking cessation program, the study represented a service that was open to all individuals. The number of participants were 37,451. They reported their age, gender, nationality, marital status, education and employment status, and completed two psychological questionnaires (PPS-4 and the anxiety and depression scales of the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised). Results: The PSS-4 scores could differentiate between relevant sociodemographic variables (such as sex, age, nationality, marital status, education, parental status, employment status, and income class). The PSS-4 scores showed a positive correlation with the SCL90R anxiety and depression scales. The normed values for interpreting the PSS-4 scores are presented. The PSS-4 showed adequate internal consistency and reliability. Conclusions: The PSS-4 is a useful instrument for assessing stress perception levels in the general population in different countries. Its internal consistency is sufficient for a 4-item scale.
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The PSS-4 proved to be a useful instrument in the general population in different European countries.
“and proved to be a useful instrument in the general population in different European countries [151];”
From Efficacy of a transdiagnostic Internet prevention approach in adolescents (EMPATIA study): study protocol of a randomized controlled trial (2024) · cites this paper as [151]
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Background
- Authors
- Vallejo, M. A., Vallejo-Slocker, L., Fernández-Abascal, E. G., & Mañanes, G.
- Affiliations
- Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (ES)
- Venue
- Frontiers in Psychology
- Publisher
- Frontiers Media SA
- Published
- 2018-01-26
- Volume
- 9
- Pages
- 37-37
- ISSN
- 1664-1078 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC5791241
- OpenAlex
- W2789184661
- Cited by
- 286
- References
- 31
- Citations by year
- 2026: 31 · 2025: 39 · 2024: 44 · 2023: 53 · 2022: 45 · 2021: 48 · 2020: 19 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 1
- FWCI
- 14.75
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- Frontiers in Psychology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- UNED repository (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Funders
- Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Management Science and Operations Research › Psychometric Methodologies and Testing
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Health and Well-being Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Keywords
- perceived stress, cross-cultural comparison, reference values, reliability and validity, sociodemographic factors, anxiety, depression, smoking cessation interventions, internal consistency
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