Stress in children and adolescents : development and validation of a new questionnaire to assess stress

Abstract

Childhood stress affects physical and mental health, making its proper assessment crucial. While several stress questionnaires for youth are available, their psychometric quality is questionable. Our aim was to develop a brief, age-appropriate questionnaire to measure current stress. Two-hundred thirty German children (6–17 years) completed the Stress Questionnaire for Children (SQC) and measures of stress symptoms, anxiety, depression, and quality of life via an online survey. The SQC consists of 17 items assessing current stress in school, social life, and leisure. An exploratory factor analysis indicated a three-factor solution (school stress, time stress, social stress) with a good model fit. The reliability of the total score (α = .90) and the subscales is good. Convergent validity was confirmed through correlations with stress-related symptoms, anxiety, depression, and quality of life. Total, school, and time stress increased with age, and girls endorsed higher stress than boys. Ratings on perceived difficulty, comprehensibility, and age-appropriateness indicated good acceptance. The SQC is a reliable and valid tool for assessing current stress in children and adolescents. It is child-friendly and suitable for a wide age range, making it suitable for research, clinical, and school settings. Further studies should confirm its factorial structure and its applicability across different cultural contexts.