Scale Overview
The Parental Stressor Scale: Pediatric Intensive Care Unit – PSS: PICU was developed by Carter, M. C., & Miles, M. S. (1982). It is designed to measure Parental stress in the pediatric intensive care unit. The scale is intended for use with Parents of children admitted to a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 37 items organized into 8 factors/subscales: Child’s Appearance, Sights and Sounds, Procedures, Staff Communication, Child’s Behaviors and Emotional Responses, Staff Behaviors, 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 |
| 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 |
| Staff Behaviors |
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:
- Not/Minimally Stressful: 0 – 37
- Mildly Stressful: 38 – 74
- Moderately Stressful: 75 – 111
- Very Stressful: 112 – 148
- Extremely Stressful: 149 – 185
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of High internal consistency (typically Cronbach's alpha > 0.80 across 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.