ERIC Number: EJ1239985
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020-Feb
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0734-2829
EISSN: N/A
The Self-Generated Stress Scale: Development, Psychometric Features, and Associations with Perfectionism, Self-Criticism, and Distress
Flett, Gordon L.; Hewitt, Paul L.; Nepon, Taryn
Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, v38 n1 p69-83 Feb 2020
In the current article, we describe the development and validation of a self-report measure of self-generated stress and its associations with measures of perfectionism, self-criticism, and distress. The Self-Generated Stress Scale is a seven-item inventory that taps the tendency to see oneself as someone who generates and adds to existing personal stress (i.e., making a challenging situation worse or turning a life problem into a bigger problem). Psychometric analyses with data from three samples of university students showed that the Self-Generated Stress Scale has one factor and acceptable internal consistency. Analyses established that self-generated stress is associated with trait perfectionism, self-criticism, dependency, and self-silencing, as well as indices tapping cognitive perfectionism and perfectionistic self-presentation. Self-generated stress was also associated with distress and psychosomatic health symptoms. Regression analyses established that scores on the Self-Generated Stress Scale predict unique variance in distress and negative affect beyond the variance attributable to self-criticism and other measures of stress. Overall, our findings attest to the further use of the Self-Generated Stress Scale in various contexts and highlight that certain perfectionists suffer from a perceived tendency to make their lives more stressful. The implications of these findings are discussed along with directions for future research.
Descriptors: Anxiety, Measures (Individuals), Personality Traits, Self Concept, Test Construction, Psychometrics, College Students, Factor Structure, Test Reliability, Depression (Psychology), Symptoms (Individual Disorders), Psychological Patterns, Affective Measures, Check Lists, Correlation
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale; Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale; UCLA Loneliness Scale; Hopkins Symptom Checklist
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A