The Psychology Student Stress Questionnaire

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Educational Psychology
• Student Mental Health

Background:

• Graduate psychology training involves unique stressors that are not fully understood.
• Existing stress measures may not adequately capture the specific challenges faced by these students.
• The development of a targeted instrument is needed to assess graduate psychology student stress.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate the Psychology Student Stress Questionnaire (PSSQ).
• To assess the impact of emotional, financial, and academic stressors on graduate psychology students.
• To explore the underlying factors contributing to stress in this population.

Main Methods:

• The Psychology Student Stress Questionnaire (PSSQ) was administered to 133 graduate psychology students.
• Concurrent administration of the Symptom Check List-90-R and the Health and Daily Living Form.
• Factor analysis was used to identify underlying stress factors within the PSSQ.

Main Results:

• The PSSQ demonstrated significant, albeit limited, correlations with established stress measures.
• Factor analysis revealed seven distinct stress factors, with time constraints emerging as the most significant.
• Female students reported higher overall stress scores compared to male students.

Conclusions:

• The PSSQ is a potentially valuable tool for investigating student stress in graduate psychology programs.
• Time constraints represent a primary source of stress for psychology graduate students.
• Further research can utilize the PSSQ to inform interventions and support systems for student well-being.