Mohammad S I Mullick, Sultana Algin, Monirul Islam, Adrian Phillipson, Jhunu S Nahar, Nahid Mahjabin Morshed, Hafizur Rahman Chowdhury, Selina Fatema Binte Shahid
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Time: 15-20 minutes
Ages: 10-18 yrs
Time Frame: Last 1 year but can be used as current or lifetime instrument.
Purpose: Assessment of stress.
Commentary: The Dhaka Stress Scale-Adolescent (DSS-Ad) is designed to identify stressful life events experienced by normal adolescent population of Bangladesh in the past year and measuring the severity of stress. However, it can be applicable in the countries of similar socio-cultural milieu.
Versions: The DSS-Ad is only a self-report version available. Both Bangla and English versions are available.
Edition: First edition (12/2019)
Items: The DSS-Ad comprises 56 items that are rated on given mean stress score.
Scale: The items are rated on given mean stress score on the left of each event. If the person experienced that event in the past year, is written that number on the blank space to the right. If any event happened more than once, is multiplied for each occurrence. The simple sum of all items rating constitutes the total score.
Interpretations: Interpretation of the overall score is not absolute because of the large differences in each person’s ability to cope and particular reaction to stress, but here are some general guidelines: Score 150 or less suggesting mild level of stress, Score 151 to 300 suggesting moderate level of stress and score 301 or more suggesting severe level of stress.
Validity: Content validity was excellent as item level content validity index (I-CVI)
Validity: Content validity was excellent as item level content validity index (I-CVI) was 1 except except 6 items and scale level validity index (S-CVI) was 0.93. In factor analysis of two factor model, no item had salient loading on more than one factor and there were 6 items that failed to load on either factor. Correlation coefficient was 0.72 between DSS-Ad and Adolescents life events Stress Scale (ALESS).
Reliability: Cronbach’s alpha values were ranging from 0.83-0.97.
Key references:
1.Holmes TH, Rahe RH. The social readjustment rating scale. J PsychosomRes. 1967; 11: 213-18.
2.Agaarwal S, Prabhu HRA, Anand A, Kotwal A. Stressful life events among adolescents: The development of a new measure. Indian J Psychiatry 2007; 49:96-102.
3. Mullick MSI, Algin S, Islam MM, Phillipson A,Nahar JS, Morshed MM,Chowdhury MHR, Shahid SFB. Dhaka Stress Scale-Adolescents: A scale for assessing psychosocial stressors among adolescents. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Med Univ J 2019; 12:167-176. DOI: 10.3329/bsmmuj.v12i3.44273
Address:
Professor Dr. Mohammad S. I. Mullick
Professor, Department of Psychiatry
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU),
Shahbagh, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh.
e-mail: msimullick@gmail.com
Website: www.drmsimullick.com
© Mullick et al., 2017