Perceived Stress Scale
The questions in this scale ask you about your feelings and thoughts during the last month. In each case, choose how often you felt or thought a certain way.
0 = never, 1 = almost never, 2 = sometimes, 3 = fairly often, 4 = very often
| 1. In the last month, how often have you been upset because of something that happened unexpectedly? | 0 1 2 3 4 |
| 2. In the last month, how often have you felt that you were unable to control the important things in your life? | 0 1 2 3 4 |
| 3. In the last month, how often have you felt nervous and “stressed”? | 0 1 2 3 4 |
| 4. In the last month, how often have you felt confident about your ability to handle your personal problems? | 0 1 2 3 4 |
| 5. In the last month, how often have you felt that things were going your way? | 0 1 2 3 4 |
| 6. In the last month, how often have you found that you could not cope with all the things that you had to do? | 0 1 2 3 4 |
| 7. In the last month, how often have you been able to control irritations in your life? | 0 1 2 3 4 |
| 8. In the last month, how often have you felt that you were on top of things? | 0 1 2 3 4 |
| 9. In the last month, how often have you been angered because of things that were outside of your control? | 0 1 2 3 4 |
| 10. In the last month, how often have you felt difficulties were piling up so high that you could not overcome them? | 0 1 2 3 4 |
Scoring
PSS scores are obtained by reversing responses (e.g., 0 = 4, 1 = 3, 2 = 2, 3 = 1 & 4 = 0) to the four positively stated items (items 4, 5, 7, & 8) and then summing across all scale items.
Individual scores on the PSS can range from 0 to 40 with higher scores indicating higher perceived stress.
► Scores ranging from 0-13 would be considered low stress.
► Scores ranging from 14-26 would be considered moderate stress.
► Scores ranging from 27-40 would be considered high perceived stress.
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