Psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS)

The aim of this work was to study the psychometrics properties of the Spanish version of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) (Escala de Estrés Percibido, EEP) based upon a translation of the original scale of Cohen, Kamarck and Mermelstein. The PSS evaluates the personal perception of control of context demands. After analyzing the psychometrics properties of the items and the total scale, a first study was made to evaluate the equivalence of the translated version of SSP in three Spanish samples from different contexts: undergraduate students and university graduates (N= 2403), Police members (N= 204), and professional army members (N= 129). A second study provided evidence for convergent validity of PSS with a military sample in Mostar city (Bosnia í Herzegovina). For this, associations were analyzed between the perceived stress construct and the social support, general health, and self-efficacy constructs. The overall results showed that the Spanish version of PSS present appropriate psychometric properties for Spanish samples.