PerceivedStressScale

The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) is a widely used psychological inventory designed to measure the perception of stress in an individual's life. Developed by psychologist Sheldon Cohen and colleagues in 1983, the scale assesses how unpredictable, uncontrollable, and overloaded respondents find their lives. The PSS is structured to evaluate the degree to which situations in one’s life are appraised as stressful, rather than focusing on objective stressors or the individual’s emotional reactions to stress.

The original PSS consists of 14 items, each scored on a five-point Likert scale ranging from 0 (never) to 4 (very often). Respondents indicate how frequently they experienced certain thoughts or feelings over the past month. The scale includes both positive and negatively worded items to ensure respondents remain engaged and to account for response biases. For example, one item asks, "In the last month, how often have you felt nervous and stressed?" while another asks, "In the last month, how often have you been able to control irritations in your life?" The total score is obtained by summing the responses to all items, with higher scores indicating greater perceived stress.

The PSS is available in multiple versions, including the PSS-10, a shorter 10-item version developed later to reduce respondent burden while maintaining reliability and validity. The scale has been widely validated across diverse populations and cultures, making it a versatile tool for research in psychology, medicine, and public health. It is often used to assess stress levels in epidemiological studies, clinical settings, and workplace evaluations.

Critics note that the PSS measures subjective stress perception rather than objective stress exposure, which may limit its applicability in certain contexts. However, its simplicity, brevity, and strong psychometric properties continue to make it a valuable instrument for assessing psychological stress. The scale is freely available for research use and is frequently cited in academic literature.