Psychology & well-being
Stress scales: PSS-10 and DASS-21 stress subscale
- Concept
- Stress
- Field
- Psychology & well-being
- Scales in the library
- 2
- Items
- 17
Stress is the state in which a person feels that environmental demands exceed their ability to cope. In Lazarus and Folkman's cognitive appraisal model, stress depends on how an individual appraises the situation, and the PSS-10 was built along these lines. The DASS-21 measures stress as a negative emotional state alongside depression and anxiety. Common thesis topics in Vietnam include students' academic stress, job pressure among healthcare workers, exam-season stress, and the factors that influence it.
Comparing the scales
| Scale | Author (year) | Items | Response format | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perceived Stress (PSS) Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) | Cohen, Kamarck & Mermelstein (1983) | 10 | 5-point | Choose this to measure perceived stress over the past month; 10 items, 4 of them reverse coded, suitable for any group. |
| Stress (S) DASS-21 scale | Lovibond & Lovibond (1995) | 7 | 4-point | Choose this to measure depression, anxiety, and stress together; the stress subscale has 7 items and asks about the past week. |
Items of each scale
Original English wording from the published source. Replace placeholders such as [system] or
[brand] with what your study is about, and pilot the questionnaire with 20 to 30 respondents first.
Perceived Stress (PSS) · Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10)
| Code | Item |
|---|---|
| PSS1 | In the last month, how often have you been upset because of something that happened unexpectedly? |
| PSS2 | In the last month, how often have you felt that you were unable to control the important things in your life? |
| PSS3 | In the last month, how often have you felt nervous and "stressed"? |
| PSS4 (R) | In the last month, how often have you felt confident about your ability to handle your personal problems? |
| PSS5 (R) | In the last month, how often have you felt that things were going your way? |
| PSS6 | In the last month, how often have you found that you could not cope with all the things that you had to do? |
| PSS7 (R) | In the last month, how often have you been able to control irritations in your life? |
| PSS8 (R) | In the last month, how often have you felt that you were on top of things? |
| PSS9 | In the last month, how often have you been angered because of things that were outside of your control? |
| PSS10 | In the last month, how often have you felt difficulties were piling up so high that you could not overcome them? |
Source: Cohen, Kamarck & Mermelstein (1983). Response scale, licence and APA reference: Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10).
Stress (S) · DASS-21 scale
| Code | Item |
|---|---|
| S1 | I found it hard to wind down |
| S6 | I tended to over-react to situations |
| S8 | I felt that I was using a lot of nervous energy |
| S11 | I found myself getting agitated |
| S12 | I found it difficult to relax |
| S14 | I was intolerant of anything that kept me from getting on with what I was doing |
| S18 | I felt that I was rather touchy |
Source: Lovibond & Lovibond (1995). Response scale, licence and APA reference: DASS-21 scale.
(R): reverse-coded item; recode before analysis. Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10): 0–4 scale: new score = 4 − score. For example, 0 becomes 4, 1 becomes 3, 2 stays the same.
Tips
- The PSS-10 has 4 reverse items (PSS4, PSS5, PSS7, PSS8). Reverse as 4 minus the score because the scale runs from 0 to 4.
- The DASS-21 stress subscale score must be multiplied by 2 before comparing with severity cut-offs (normal, mild, moderate, severe, extremely severe).
- Both scales use frequency scales, not agreement Likert scales. Keep the original response labels when adding them to a combined questionnaire.
- Screening scales do not replace diagnosis. If you survey students, include mental health support information at the end of the questionnaire.
Once you have a scale, put the concept in the research model drawer to state your hypotheses, work out the minimum sample size, and after data collection check reliability with the Cronbach's alpha calculator.
Frequently asked questions
Should I use the PSS-10 or the DASS-21 to measure stress?
The PSS-10 measures how uncontrollable and overloaded life feels, and suits studies where stress is the main variable. The DASS-21 suits studies that need depression, anxiety, and stress together in one short questionnaire.
How is the PSS-10 scored?
Reverse the 4 items PSS4, PSS5, PSS7, PSS8, then sum all 10 items. The total ranges from 0 to 40; higher scores mean higher perceived stress.
Is there a validated Vietnamese DASS-21?
Yes. Tran, Tran and Fisher (2013) validated the Vietnamese DASS-21 among rural women in Ha Nam, and the official DASS site lists Vietnamese translations. The version on this page was translated by our editors; if you use a published version, cite that version.