Less Stress with Age (Unless You Have a Job) in China: Validating the PSS for the Educated Masses

Overview

Paper Summary › Explain Like I'm Five › Conflicts of Interest › Identified Limitations › Rating Explanation › Good to know › Topic Hierarchy › File Information ›

Paper Summary

Paperzilla title

The study found that the 10-item and modified 14-item versions of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) have satisfactory psychometric properties in a large community sample of Chinese adults. Stress levels measured by the PSS-10 were found to decrease with age and be highest among employed individuals, with no significant gender differences observed.

Explain Like I'm Five

Scientists used a special quiz to see how stressed grown-ups in China felt. They found the quiz worked well, and that older people felt less stressed, while people with jobs felt more stressed, no matter if they were a boy or a girl.

Possible Conflicts of Interest

The authors received funding from several organizations, including the Carolina Population Center, the National Institutes of Health, and the Fogarty International Center. However, they stated that the funders had no role in the study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, or manuscript writing.

Identified Limitations

Limited Sample Generalizability

The sample only included individuals with at least a junior high school education, limiting the generalizability of the findings to the broader population, including those with lower educational attainment.

Self-Reported Data and Potential Bias

The study relied solely on self-reported data using the PSS, which is susceptible to response bias and may not accurately reflect individuals' actual stress levels.

Lack of Other Validity Measures

The authors did not assess other forms of validity, such as concurrent or predictive validity, which limits the understanding of the PSS's relationship with other relevant constructs.

Error Covariance and Unclear Interpretation

The study found error covariance between items 4 and 5, indicating systematic error in responses. The reason for this covariance remains unclear and requires further investigation.

Cross-Sectional Design

While the study validated the PSS in a large sample, it was limited to a specific time point and did not examine the stability of the PSS over time.

Rating Explanation

This study makes a valuable contribution by validating the Chinese version of the PSS in a large community-based sample. The rigorous methodology, including confirmatory factor analysis, and the comparison of different PSS versions strengthen the findings. However, some limitations, such as the limited sample generalizability and reliance on self-reported data, prevent a rating of 5. The identified error covariance also warrants further investigation. Overall, it's a strong study with minor limitations, meriting a rating of 4.

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Topic Hierarchy

Domain: Life Sciences

Field: Neuroscience

Subfield: Behavioral Neuroscience

File Information

Original Title: Psychometric properties of the perceived stress scale in a community sample of Chinese

Uploaded: July 14, 2025 at 11:02 AM

Privacy: Public