Construction and validation of the Adult Stressors Inventory (ASI)

Abstract

Abstract Introduction A great deal of research has been conducted all over the world into stress and its impacts on the health of populations. Objective To develop and validate an instrument for identification of the principal stressors and their magnitude in people who are subject to stress. Method The instrument was constructed on the basis of analysis of 20 interviews conducted with 10 male and 10 female adults with stress according to the Perceived Stress Scale. A total of 46 statements were derived from this analysis, referring to stressful situations in different areas of life. Each statement is evaluated on a Likert response scale indicating the degree of impact and the respondent’s ability to deal with the stressor it describes. The instrument was validated with a non-probabilistic sample comprised 450 adults, aged from 18 to 65 years, 62.7% women and 37.3% men, who completed the instrument and also the Perceived Stress Scale, to enable criterion validation. Results Exploratory factor analysis identified 42 valid items and grouped them into eight factors that explained 64.5% of total variance. These factors were financial stressors; working environment stressors; cognitive and behavioral stressors; family environment stressors; health status stressors; stressors related to conditions for relaxation; workload-related stressors; and social relationship stressors. Cronbach’s alpha for the instrument was 0.94. A relationship was observed between the newly-developed inventory and the Perceived Stress Scale, providing grounds for accepting the validation hypothesis. Conclusions The results were psychometrically satisfactory and made possible provision of a new instrument for stress interventions, with advantages over other instruments.