Psychometric properties and correlates of Chinese version of Perceived Stress Scale (CPSS-10) in people with common mental disorders with different employment Statuses.
Sam Shih, Ashley Chan, Eva Yeung and 4 others
PMID 34987348WHAT IT FOUND
The 10-item Chinese Perceived Stress Scale reliably measures stress in adults with common mental disorders.
It splits into two parts: one for feeling overwhelmed and one for coping ability. Scores correlate with depression, anxiety, and poor functioning, but show no difference between employed and unemployed people.
Key findings
01The scale reliably identifies two distinct aspects of stress: perceived distress (feeling unable to cope) and perceived coping (self-efficacy), rather than a single stress score.
02Stress levels were similar between participants who had a job and those who did not, suggesting unemployment alone does not predict higher perceived stress in this group.
03Higher stress scores were significantly associated with greater depression, anxiety, and functional impairment, and lower wellbeing.
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What it does not show
The sample only included people with a job or a work plan, so results do not apply to housewives, students, or retired persons. The study did not check if scores remained stable over time (test-retest reliability). The sample size prevented checking for differences between specific diagnostic groups (e.g., depression vs. anxiety). One item in the scale had weak correlation with the total score, though the authors retained it.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. No financial support was received for the research.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that being unemployed causes higher stress in people with common mental disorders. This study found no significant difference in stress scores between employed and unemployed participants, suggesting that symptom severity and functional impairment are more relevant predictors of stress than employment status alone.