Measurement invariance of the Perceived Stress Scale-10 across gender in Korean university students

Abstract This study examined the factorial structure and gender invariance of the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) among 582 Korean university students. Data were collected from 582 university students enrolled in a four-year university in the central region of Korea. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test four distinct factor models identified in previous studies. Analyses of multigroup invariance were also conducted to determine whether the PSS-10 items’ factorial structure exhibited gender invariance. Results indicated that the PSS-10 was the most adequately represented by a bifactor structure, composed of one general factor reflecting overlap across all 10 items and two separate factors of perceived stress and perceived coping. Multigroup invariance tests indicated that PSS-10 items were interpreted similarly between men and women and that responses could be meaningfully compared across gender. The study confirms that the PSS-10 is a theoretically sound instrument that is feasible for both research and university settings.