Construct validity of the perceived stress scale (PSS-10) in a sample of early childhood teacher candidates

OBJECT: The 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) is one of the most widely used psychological instruments for measuring stress perception in practice and research but has sparked some controversy regarding its factor structure. Further, no study has been conducted to date using a sample of Korean university students to test the reliability and validity of the PSS and the factorial structure of this instrument. Likewise, more data on the psychometric properties of the Korean version of the scale (K-PSS-10) are also needed. Hence, the purpose of the present study was to examine the construct validity of the K-PSS-10 among Korean university students. METHODS: A total of 250 university students currently attending the Department of Early Childhood Education (a four-year university curriculum) completed the K-PSS-10. The collected data were subjected to confirmatory factor analysis, which tested three alternative plausible models suggested by the extant literature: single factor, correlated two-factor and bifactor. RESULTS: The results indicated that the bifactor model best fit the data, with one general factor reflecting the overlap across all 10 items, and 2 additional specific factors representing perceived distress (6 negatively worded items) and perceived coping (4 positively worded items). Internal consistencies of the total scale and its two subscales were adequate (alpha > 0.70). CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study support the use of the K-PSS-10 as a reliable and valid measure to assess perceived stress in a sample of early childhood teacher candidates.