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. 2018 Feb 6;18(1):18.
doi: 10.1186/s12874-018-0471-4.

Factor structure and psychometric properties of the english version of the trier inventory for chronic stress (TICS-E)

Katja Petrowski  1 , Sören Kliem  2 , Michael Sadler  3 , Alicia E Meuret  4 , Thomas Ritz  4 , Elmar Brähler  5   6
Affiliations

Factor structure and psychometric properties of the english version of the trier inventory for chronic stress (TICS-E)

Katja Petrowski et al. BMC Med Res Methodol. .

Abstract

Background: Demands placed on individuals in occupational and social settings, as well as imbalances in personal traits and resources, can lead to chronic stress. The Trier Inventory for Chronic Stress (TICS) measures chronic stress while incorporating domain-specific aspects, and has been found to be a highly reliable and valid research tool. The aims of the present study were to confirm the German version TICS factorial structure in an English translation of the instrument (TICS-E) and to report its psychometric properties.

Methods: A random route sample of healthy participants (N = 483) aged 18-30 years completed the TICS-E. The robust maximum likelihood estimation with a mean-adjusted chi-square test statistic was applied due to the sample's significant deviation from the multivariate normal distribution. Goodness of fit, absolute model fit, and relative model fit were assessed by means of the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA), the Comparative Fit Index (CFI) and the Tucker Lewis Index (TLI).

Results: Reliability estimates (Cronbach's α and adjusted split-half reliability) ranged from .84 to .92. Item-scale correlations ranged from .50 to .85. Measures of fit showed values of .052 for RMSEA (Cl = 0.50-.054) and .067 for SRMR for absolute model fit, and values of .846 (TLI) and .855 (CFI) for relative model-fit. Factor loadings ranged from .55 to .91.

Conclusion: The psychometric properties and factor structure of the TICS-E are comparable to the German version of the TICS. The instrument therefore meets quality standards for an adequate measurement of chronic stress.

Keywords: Chronic stress; Confirmatory factor analysis; Measurement invariance; Questionnaire; Stress assessment.

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Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

The study was approved by the institutional review boards of the involved university institutions and all participants provided written informed consent.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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