Founders Stress Test

PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE

The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) is a classic stress assessment instrument.
The tool, while originally developed in 1983, remains a popular choice for helping us understand how different situations affect our feelings and our perceived stress.
The questions in this scale ask about your feelings and thoughts during the last month. In each case, you will be asked to indicate how often you felt or thought a certain way. Although some of the questions are similar, there are differences between them and you should treat each one as a separate question. The best approach is to answer fairly quickly. That is, don't try to count up the number of times you felt a particular way; rather indicate the alternative that seems like a reasonable estimate.

In the last month, how often have you been upset because of something that happened unexpectedly?

0-Never, 1-Almost never, 2-Sometimes, 3-Fairly often, 4-Very often

In the last month, how often have you felt that you were unable to control important things in your life?

0-Never, 1-Almost never, 2-Sometimes, 3-Fairly often, 4-Very often

In the last month, how often have you felt nervous and stressed?

0-Never, 1-Almost never, 2-Sometimes, 3-Fairly often, 4-Very often

In the last month, how often have you found that you could not cope with all the things that you had to do?

0-Never, 1-Almost never, 2-Sometimes, 3-Fairly often, 4-Very often

In the last month, how often have you been angered because of things that happened that were outside of your control?

0-Never, 1-Almost never, 2-Sometimes, 3-Fairly often, 4-Very often

In the last month, how often have you found yourself thinking about things that you have to accomplish?

0-Never, 1-Almost never, 2-Sometimes, 3-Fairly often, 4-Very often

In the last month, how often have you felt difficulties were piling up so high that you could not overcome them?

0-Never, 1-Almost never, 2-Sometimes, 3-Fairly often, 4-Very often

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ATTENTION: FROM HERE SCORING IS IN REVERSE

In the last month, how often have you dealt successfully with irritating life hassles?

0-Very often, 1-Fairly often, 2-Sometimes, 3-Almost never, 4-Never

In the last month, how often have you felt that you were effectively coping with important changes that were occurring in your life?

0-Very often, 1-Fairly often, 2-Sometimes, 3-Almost never, 4-Never

In the last month, how often have you felt confident about your ability to handle your personal problems?

0-Very often, 1-Fairly often, 2-Sometimes, 3-Almost never, 4-Never

In the last month, how often have you felt that things were going your way?

0-Very often, 1-Fairly often, 2-Sometimes, 3-Almost never, 4-Never

In the last month, how often have you been able to control irritations in your life?

0-Very often, 1-Fairly often, 2-Sometimes, 3-Almost never, 4-Never

In the last month, how often have you felt that you were on top of things?

0-Very often, 1-Fairly often, 2-Sometimes, 3-Almost never, 4-Never

In the last month, how often have you been able to control the way you spend your time?

0-Very often, 1-Fairly often, 2-Sometimes, 3-Almost never, 4-Never

RESULTS

Your score

► Scores ranging from 0-13 would be considered low stress.
► Scores ranging from 14-26 would be considered moderate stress.
► Scores ranging from 27-40 would be considered high perceived stress.

The Perceived Stress Scale is interesting and important because your perception of what is happening in your life is most important. Consider the idea that two individuals could have the exact same events and experiences in their lives for the past month. Depending on their perception, total score could put one of those individuals in the low stress category and the total score could put the second person in the high stress category.

Disclaimer: The scores on the following self-assessment do not reflect any particular diagnosis or course of treatment. They are meant as a tool to help assess your level of stress.

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