The Chinese Version of the Perceived Stress Questionnaire-13: Psychometric Properties and Measurement Invariance for Medical Students

PURPOSE: Stress may relate to an increased risk of psychological and physical disorders. Thus, a brief and efficient measurement instrument for researchers to measure stress is essentially needed. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: To assess measurement properties of the validated Chinese version of the Perceived Stress Questionnaire-13 (PSQ-C-13), we conducted a two-wave longitudinal study from September to December, 2021 with a convenient sample of medical students. RESULTS: A two-factor (constraint and imbalance) structure showed good fit indices (Comparative Fit Index [CFI] = 0.972, Tucker-Lewis Index [TLI] = 0.966, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation [RMSEA] = 0.062). Spearman correlations with the Chinese Perceived Stress Scale-10 illustrated that convergent validity of the PSQ-C-13 was relatively satisfactory (r = 0.678 [baseline], 0.753 [follow-up]). Measurement invariance was supported across subgroups (gender, age, home location, single-child status, monthly households’ income, and part-time status) and time points. Internal consistency was sound (Cronbach’s α = 0.908 [baseline], 0.922 [follow-up]; McDonald’s ω = 0.909 [baseline], 0.923 [follow-up]). Stability between time points was good (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient = 0.834). CONCLUSION: The two factors of the PSQ-C-13 including constraint and imbalance may adequately measure the level of stress on participants. The PSQ-C-13 is a convenient and efficient instrument that contains valid and reliable psychometric properties.