Parental Stressor Scale: Pediatric Intensive Care Unit – PSS: PICU
Measures the environmental and situational stressors experienced by parents of children admitted to a pediatric intensive care unit.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Parental Stressor Scale: Pediatric Intensive Care Unit – PSS: PICU was developed by M. C. Carter & M. S. Miles (1982). It is designed to measure Parental stress in pediatric intensive care units. The scale is intended for use with Parents of children admitted to a PICU.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 37 items organized into 8 factors/subscales: Child’s Appearance, Sights and Sounds, Procedures, Professional Staff Communication, Child’s Behaviors and Emotional Responses, Behaviors of the Professional Staff, Parental Roles, General Experience.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Child's Appearance | 1,2,3 | 3 |
| Sights and Sounds | 4,5,6,7 | 4 |
| Procedures | 8,9,10,11,12,13 | 6 |
| Professional Staff Communication | 14,15,16,17,18 | 5 |
| Child's Behaviors and Emotional Responses | 19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28 | 10 |
| Behaviors of the Professional Staff | 29,30,31,32 | 4 |
| Parental Roles | 33,34,35,36 | 4 |
| General Experience | 37 | 1 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 0 = Not experienced, 1 = Not stressful, 2 = Minimally stressful, 3 = Moderately stressful, 4 = Very stressful, 5 = Extremely stressful.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 0 to 185. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Stress: 0 – 37
- Moderate Stress: 38 – 111
- High Stress: 112 – 185
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Cronbach's alpha values typically range from 0.72 to 0.95 for the subscales..
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.