Difficult Situations for Adults and Adolescents
Measures the occurrence and perceived impact of stressful family events and health-related difficulties over the past year.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Difficult Situations for Adults and Adolescents was developed by Fundación W. K. Kellogg (1996). It is designed to measure Family Stress and Stressful Life Events. The scale is intended for use with Adults and adolescents.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 17 items organized into 2 factors/subscales: Health, Stressful Events.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Health | 1,2,3 | 3 |
| Stressful Events | 4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17 | 14 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 0 = Did not occur, 1 = Occurred but did not affect my family, 2 = Occurred and affected my family SOMEWHAT, 3 = Occurred and affected my family A GREAT DEAL.
Scoring
Items are summed to produce a total score.
Total scores range from 0 to 51. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low family stress impact: 0 – 17
- Moderate family stress impact: 18 – 34
- High family stress impact: 35 – 51
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.