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Tools for Measuring Psychological Stress

Along with depression, stress and anxiety are some of the most persistent and challenging psychological issues that are faced in modern society. While it is absolutely normal to experience some psychological stress, it is difficult to determine whether it is within an average or pathological range without employing tools and tests. Here are some of the most effective tools for measuring psychological stress.

  1. MMPI-2

    • The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 is one of the most important tests that are commonly used by psychologists to determine which unhealthy traits of an individual may be pathological. This test has various different items on it, one of which is simply "Anxiety." However, because various other items include "Hypochondriasis," "Depression," "Psychasthenia" and "Social Avoidance," this test is particularly useful for discovering to what areas the anxiety may be connected.

    PSS

    • The Perceived Stress Scale is one of the most common tools used to assess stress. It measures to what degree an individual experiences his life as overwhelming and beyond his ability to cope with the stress. There are only 10 items on the scale, and they are rated by the respondent on a scale from 0 to 4 (0 meaning "never," 1 meaning "almost never," 2 meaning "sometimes," 3 meaning "fairly often" and 4 meaning "very often"). This scale is widely used because it has stood up to the test of time and research.

    PSM

    • The Psychological Stress Measure is a 49-item survey that inquires into an individual's recent experience (specifically the last four or five days). The individual must rate each item on a scale from 1 to 8, 1 meaning "not at all" and 8 meaning "extremely." An abridged version of the test, called the PSM-9, has been created to allow for a shorter testing period.

    Polygraph

    • The polygraph is a different type of test, as it actually analyzes an individual's voice for stress and has been used in various criminal defense cases, civil disputes and government litigation. While it is an excellent tool for measuring stress, it is not capable of determining the reason for the stress and is therefore not the most reliable tool for its primary use of detecting lies.

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