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. 2011;6(12):e28610.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0028610. Epub 2011 Dec 2.

Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Perceived Stress Scale in policewomen

Zhen Wang  1 , Jue Chen, Jennifer E Boyd, Haiyin Zhang, Xiuzhen Jia, Jianyin Qiu, Zeping Xiao
Affiliations

Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Perceived Stress Scale in policewomen

Zhen Wang et al. PLoS One. 2011.

Abstract

Background: The 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) is one of most widely used instruments to measure a global level of perceived stress in a range of clinical and research settings. This study was conducted to examine the psychometric properties of the Simplified Chinese version of the PSS-10 in policewomen.

Methodology: A total of 240 policewomen were recruited in this study. The Simplified Chinese versions of the PSS-10, the Beck Depression Inventory Revised (BDI-II), and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) were administered to all participants, and 36 of the participants were re-tested two weeks after the initial testing.

Principal findings: The overall Cronbach's alpha was 0.86, and the test-retest reliability coefficient was 0.68. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) yielded 2 factors with eigenvalues of 4.76 and 1.48, accounting for 62.41% of variance. Factor 1 consisted of 6 items representing "negative feelings"; whereas Factor 2 consisted of 4 items representing "positive feelings". The item loadings ranged from 0.72 to 0.83. The Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) indicated a very good fit of this two-factor model to this sample. The PSS-10 significantly correlated with both BDI-II and BAI, indicating an acceptable concurrent validity.

Conclusions: The Simplified Chinese version of the PSS-10 demonstrated adequate psychometric properties for evaluating stress levels. The results support its use among the Chinese population.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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