The Trier Inventory for the Assessment of Chronic Stress (TICS): Scale construction, statistical testing, and validation of the scale work overload

Stimulated by research findings on stress which indicate that chronic, rather than acute, stress is associated with clinically relevant health impairment,the Trierer Inventar zur Erfassung von chronischem Stre ss (TICS) was developed. The questionnaire measures six-aspects of chronic stress. Work overload, worries social stress, lack of social recognition, work discontent,and intrusive memories. The chronicity of stress is measured by the frequency of stress events perceived retrospectively in the areas: mentioned above. The answers are given on a five-point rating scale. The present study investigated N = 157 participants to evaluate the TICS. The results confirm the factorial structure of the TICS. The six scales show satisfactory reliability coefficients. Initial results concerning:the validity of the questionnaire are reported. Two studies resulted in significant correlations between the scale work overload and (a):several scales of the Gie ss ener Beschwerdebogen (GBB; a questionnaire used for assessing health-related symptoms):and (b):the concentration of free Cortisol in saliva; The-scale also differentiated 19 patients with tinnitus from 16 healthy subjects.