Perceived Stress Scale

Perceived Stress Scale (PSS)

Primary Reference: Cohen, S., Kamarck, T., & Mermelstein, R. (1983). A global measure of perceived stress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 24, 385-396.

Purpose: To assess the degree to which people perceive their lives as stressful. High levels of stress are associated with poor self-reported health, elevated blood pressure, depression, and susceptibility to infection.

Description: Subjects indicate how often they have found their lives unpredictable, uncontrollable, and overloaded in the last month.

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Demographic Questions

Before taking the Perceived Stress Scale test, please answer the following five demographic questions. Families for Depression Awareness gathers demographic data in order to better understand and serve our audience. The results will only be used in aggregate.

I am a:
Caregiver of a person with a mood disorder
Person with a mood disorder
I prefer not to answer

Are you of Hispanic, Latino or Spanish origin?
Yes, Hispanic, Latino or Spanish
No, not Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish
I prefer not to answer

Which category or categories best describe you (select all that apply)?
American Indian or Alaska Native
Asian
Black, Afro-Caribbean, or African-American
Middle Eastern or North African
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
White or Euro-American
I prefer not to answer

Perceived Stress Scale Questions

Total Perceived Stress Score : 0

Test Results

0-13

Low Stress

Look at you! According to how you answered the questions, you are managing your life’s stressors well. As a caregiver, now is a good time to read more about the role you can play in supporting your loved one. For more caregiver strategies, visit our Tips for Caregivers series.

Strengthen your relationship with your loved one by learning about positive family communication. You can also read our family stories for inspiration.

Reflect on your self-care practices and commit to your own wellness. Self-care practices can look different to everyone. Take a look at our “boring” self-care ideas to see how small acts can make a big difference..

If you start to feel your stress level rising, come back and take the test again for more suggestions.

14-26

Moderate Stress

Your answers indicate that you are feeling a moderate amount of stress. We understand! Supporting a loved one who has a mood disorder while taking care of your daily responsibilities is challenging. Now is a good time to establish boundaries, set realistic expectations, build a support system for yourself, and strengthen or establish self-care practices that work for you. Our handbook, Helping Someone Living with Depression or Bipolar Disorder, has great advice to help with all of these.

Stress levels often rise when your loved one is experiencing episodes of depression or mania. If your loved one’s mental health hasn’t been improving or they don’t even acknowledge there is a problem, you should take this opportunity to learn about the Stages of Change. You can also ask them for permission to speak with their mental health provider about your observations. Read Ronnie’s story about his wife’s hard-to-treat depression and how he takes care of himself. If you are parenting a teen, review these stress management strategies.

After you have stated and enforced your boundaries, set your expectations, leaned on your support system, and begun to practice more self-care, come back and take the test again to see if your stress level is lower.

27-40

High Stress

Your answers show that your stress is weighing on you heavily. You may have noticed that your health has suffered in other ways as well, like getting colds more frequently, having headaches or gastrointestinal issues. Take a few deep breaths (they’re proven to be calming!) before reading on.

It seems that it is time to step back from caregiving for a moment to focus on yourself. Have you been feeling depressed lately? Are your relationships more challenging than usual? Do you have a lot of frustration or periods of hopelessness? Take our Depression Test for more insight and results you can share with your healthcare provider.

While you may believe that helping others is your duty, you will not be able to help anyone effectively if you aren’t well yourself. Many caregivers benefit from having their own mental health professional to confide in. Consider these tips for finding a therapist of your own.

You deserve to be in a healthy place while supporting your loved one. We invite you to take this test again once you have taken time for yourself and sought professional support. In the meantime, here are some stress-relief activities that you and your family can try together.

Home

	Never	Almost Never	Sometimes	Fairly Often	Very Often
1. In the last month, how often have you been upset because of something that happened unexpectedly?
2. In the last month, how often have you felt that you were unable to control the important things in your life?
3. In the last month, how often have you felt nervous and “stressed”?
4. In the last month, how often have you felt confident about your ability to handle your personal problems?
5. In the last month, how often have you felt that things were going your way?
6. In the last month, how often have you found that you could not cope with all the things that you had to do?
7. In the last month, how often have you been able to control irritations in your life?
8. In the last month, how often have you felt that you were on top of things?
9. In the last month, how often have you been angered because of things that were outside your control?
10. In the last month, how often have you felt difficulties were piling up so high that you could not overcome them?