Chronic Stress

What it measures

Seven seven-point Likert-type items measure chronic stress as a persistent state of heightened arousal leading to impaired functioning. Items tap difficulty winding down, inability to relax, nervous energy, agitation, overreaction, touchiness, and intolerance. The scale is the short version of the stress subscale of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS), adapted to a present-tense format for use in consumer research.

Response format

7-point Likert (1=strongly disagree, 7=strongly agree)

Scale items

• I find it hard to wind down.
• I find it difficult to relax.
• I find I have a lot of nervous energy to expend.
• I find myself easily agitated.
• I tend to over-react to situations.
• I tend to be rather touchy.
• I quickly become intolerant of anything that keeps me from getting on with what I am doing.

Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.

Usage notes & scoring

Adapted from Lovibond and Lovibond (1995); items rephrased to present tense and administered on a seven-point agree-disagree scale rather than the original four-point format. Alpha of .86 (n=373). Scale scores were negatively related to happiness and life satisfaction and positively related to neuroticism, depression, and anxiety, supporting validity.

Citation

Burroughs, J. E., & Rindfleisch, A. (2002). Materialism and well-being: A conflicting values perspective. Journal of Consumer Research, 29(3), 348–370.

Keywords