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. 2016 Dec 15:4:e2790.
doi: 10.7717/peerj.2790. eCollection 2016.

Psychometric properties of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS): measurement invariance between athletes and non-athletes and construct validity

Yi-Hsiang Chiu #  1 , Frank Jing-Horng Lu #  2 , Ju-Han Lin  3 , Chiao-Lin Nien  4 , Ya-Wen Hsu  5 , Hong-Yu Liu  6
Affiliations

Psychometric properties of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS): measurement invariance between athletes and non-athletes and construct validity

Yi-Hsiang Chiu et al. PeerJ. .

Abstract

Background: Although Perceived Stress Scale (PSS, Cohen, Kamarack & Mermelstein, 1983) has been validated and widely used in many domains, there is still no validation in sports by comparing athletes and non-athletes and examining related psychometric indices.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the measurement invariance of PSS between athletes and non-athletes, and examine construct validity and reliability in the sports contexts.

Methods: Study 1 sampled 359 college student-athletes (males = 233; females = 126) and 242 non-athletes (males = 124; females = 118) and examined factorial structure, measurement invariance and internal consistency. Study 2 sampled 196 student-athletes (males = 139, females = 57, Mage = 19.88 yrs, SD = 1.35) and examined discriminant validity and convergent validity of PSS. Study 3 sampled 37 student-athletes to assess test-retest reliability of PSS.

Results: Results found that 2-factor PSS-10 fitted the model the best and had appropriate reliability. Also, there was a measurement invariance between athletes and non-athletes; and PSS positively correlated with athletic burnout and life stress but negatively correlated with coping efficacy provided evidence of discriminant validity and convergent validity. Further, the test-retest reliability for PSS subscales was significant (r = .66 and r = .50).

Discussion: It is suggested that 2-factor PSS-10 can be a useful tool in assessing perceived stress either in sports or non-sports settings. We suggest future study may use 2-factor PSS-10 in examining the effects of stress on the athletic injury, burnout, and psychiatry disorders.

Keywords: Cognitive-transactional model of stress; Multiple group comparisons; Nested model; Perceived coping.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare there are no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. The two factors measurement model of the PSS-10.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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Grants and funding

This study was partly supported by grants from Ministry of Science and Technology in Taiwan, MOST 104-2410-H-179-009. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

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