Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10)
A 10-item self-report of the degree to which situations in one's life over the past month are appraised as stressful. Items 4, 5, 7, and 8 are positively stated and reverse-scored. Higher totals indicate greater perceived stress. Administer under clinician oversight.
This is a clinical instrument. It is not publicly self-administered — a clinician assigns it through a secure patient link.
At a glance
Detailed write-up pending
A full, citation-backed scientific write-up for this scale — overview, clinical use, and psychometrics in the voice of a dissertation "Measures" section — has not yet been authored. To honor the platform's no-fabricated-sources rule, this page currently shows only the verified registry facts above (item count, structure, scoring, and any published norms). No validity coefficients, reliability figures, or citations are shown here that cannot be traced to a named source; the authored write-up will be added once its sources have been read and recorded in the plan-integrity file.
Example item
“In the last month, how often have you been upset because of something that happened unexpectedly?”
Illustrative only. During administration items are presented one screen-set at a time; response-key direction is never shown to respondents.
Scoring & interpretation
Item responses are summed to a total score and compared against published screening cutoffs.
| Band | Threshold | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Low stress | ≥ 0 | Total of 0–13 indicates low perceived stress. |
| Moderate stress | ≥ 14 | Total of 14–26 indicates moderate perceived stress. |
| High stress | ≥ 27 | Total of 27–40 indicates high perceived stress. |
Source & citation
Cohen, S., Kamarck, T., & Mermelstein, R. (1983). A global measure of perceived stress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 24(4), 385–396.
Scoring. Reverse-score items 4, 5, 7, and 8, then sum all items; bands (0–13 low, 14–26 moderate, 27–40 high) follow common interpretation of Cohen & Williamson (1988).
Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) © Sheldon Cohen. Free for academic and non-profit research use; a commercial-use grey area applies — do not imply commercial clearance.