Development and Initial Validation of the Student Rating of Environmental Stressors Scale

Abstract

High school students in accelerated curricula face stressors beyond typical adolescent developmental challenges. The Student Rating of Environmental Stressors Scale (StRESS) is a self-report measure of environmental stressors appropriate for students in Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses. We developed the StRESS in parallel with a new measure of coping designed for this same population. Items were derived from sentiments expressed during focus groups and individual interviews with 177 students, 72 parents, and 47 teachers. Multiple iterations of expert review and item analyses focusing on conceptual clarity and comprehensiveness resulted in 75 items reflecting stressors across domains, including school, home, and peers. High school students in AP or IB (N = 727) completed the 75-item inventory. Exploratory factor analyses and additional item review indicated a five-factor solution with 32 items. Cronbach’s alpha reliabilities ranged from .67 to .88. Five additional items representing a composite of Major Life Events also were included. The five factors and Major Life Events composite had test–retest reliabilities greater than .70. These scores were related to multiple conceptualizations of stress, as well as academic outcomes (GPA and attendance) and mental health (life satisfaction and anxiety), thus supporting the construct validity of the StRESS scores. Further support for the five-factor structure of the StRESS was provided by results of a confirmatory factor analysis (standardized root mean square residual = .051, root mean square error of approximation = .048, comparative fit index = .900) with a separate sample of 2,193 AP and IB students.

Psychometric Properties of the School Attitude Assessment Survey–Revised With International Baccalaureate High School Students

“…This research on the SAAS-R is part of a larger project examining stress and coping of students pursuing accelerated high school curricula (see Shaunessy-Dedrick, Suldo, Roth, & Fefer, 2014;Suldo, Dedrick, Shaunessy-Dedrick, Fefer, & Ferron, 2014;Suldo, Dedrick, Shaunessy-Dedrick, Roth, & Ferron, 2014). The methods and results from two studies of the SAAS-R from the larger project are reported below.…”

Development and Initial Validation of the Coping With Academic Demands Scale

“…As part of a larger project that included development of item pools for measures of stressors (Suldo et al, 2015) and coping, we interviewed students, parents, and teachers affiliated with AP and IB courses in six Florida schools. We conducted 30 individual student interviews, 24 focus groups with 147 students, 19 focus groups with 72 parents, and 6 focus groups with 47 teachers.…”

“…High school students in accelerated courses are a growing population (Suldo, Dedrick, Shaunessy-Dedrick, Roth, & Ferron, 2015) with research indicating that these students face academic stressors that exceed those of students in the general curriculum (Suldo, Shaunessy, Thalji, Michalowski, & Shaffer, 2009). Recognizing that variability in strategies for managing stressors partially explains why some adolescents adapt effectively whereas others experience negative outcomes, researchers have begun to explore how these students cope with academic stress.…”

Predictors of Success Among High School Students in Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Programs

“…Data source: 1 School Attitude Assessment Survey–Revised (SAAS-R; McCoach & Siegle, 2003b); 2 Short Dispositional Flow Scale–2 (SDFS-2; S. A. Jackson, Martin, & Eklund, 2008); 3 Almost Perfect Scale–Revised (APS-R; Slaney, Mobley, Trippi, Ashby, & Johnson, 1996), 4 Short Grit Scale (Grit-S; Duckworth & Quinn, 2009); 5 Extracurricular Activity Scale (developed and piloted by authors); 6 Modeled after 1-item global indicator of domain-specific life satisfaction advanced by Seligson, Huebner, and Valois (2003); 7 Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale (CASSS; Malecki & Demaray, 2002); 8 School information interview protocol (developed and piloted by authors); 9 Parenting Style Inventory–II (PSI-II; Darling & Toyokawa, 1997); 10 Home Environment Scale (developed and piloted by authors); 11 Commitment to Achievement Measure (CAM; Paulson, 1994); 12 Coping with Academic Demands Scale (CADS; Suldo, Dedrick, Shaunessy-Dedrick, Fefer, & Ferron, 2015); 13 Time Management Behavioral Scale (TMBS; Mudrack, 1997); 14 Eustress Scale (ES; O’Sullivan, 2011); 15 Student Rating of Environmental Stressors Scale (StRESS; Suldo, Dedrick, Shaunessy-Dedrick, Roth, & Ferron, 2015); 16 Demographics form (developed and piloted by authors); 17 District records (student transcripts provided electronically to authors by five participating districts); 18 Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (SLSS; Huebner, 1991); 19 Behavioral and Emotional Screening System (BESS; Kamphaus & Reynolds, 2007); 20 School Burnout Inventory (SBI; Salmela-Aro, Kiuru, Leskinen, & Nurmi, 2009).…”

“…Negative sequelae of stress stemming from such heightened academic demands include chronic fatigue and maladaptive coping strategies such as sleep deprivation, substance use, and social isolation (R. C. Foust, Hertberg- Davis, & Callahan, 2009;Leonard et al, 2015;Suldo, Shaunessy, Michalowski, & Shaffer, 2008). Studies of high school students in college preparatory programs document inverse associations between life satisfaction and stress, as indicated by global stress ratings and physical symptoms of stress (Feld & Shusterman, 2015) or environmental stressors from various domains (Suldo, Dedrick, Shaunessy-Dedrick, Roth, & Ferron, 2015). Furthermore, Suldo et al (2009) found that the magnitude of the positive correlations between stressors (at school, with parents, or with peers) and adverse outcomes (academic problems and psychopathology, especially externalizing behaviors) were greater for IB students in comparison to correlations observed among peers in general education.…”