The Validity and Reliability of the Short Form of the Adolescent Stress Questionnaire (ASQ-14) Among Greek Adolescents Aged 15–18

Background: Stress has devastating consequences for adolescents’ physical and mental health. Therefore, having the tools to accurately measure it is of critical importance. This paper seeks to evaluate the psychometric characteristics of the Greek version of the 14-item Adolescent Stress Questionnaire (ASQ-14), which measures adolescents’ daily experience of common stressors. Methods: The study questionnaire was administered to 176 male and female 15- to 18-year-old students, coming from several regions of Greece. The psychometric characteristics of the Greek ASQ-14 were investigated by confirmatory factor analysis(CFA) and exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin (KMO) procedure was applied for measuring sample adequacy. Principal axis factoring (PAF) was chosen as the extraction method and Varimax rotation was used. Internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. Scale intercorrelations were evaluated via Pearson’s r correlation coefficient. The discriminant construct validity was evaluated by analyzing the differences in the ASQ-14 scales between girls and boys, using Student’s t-tests. Results: Two factors emerged: External Pressures and Constraints and Internal Stress and Uncertainty explained 18.5% and 14.5% of the variance, respectively. The Greek ASQ-14 demonstrated acceptable reliability. Concerning discriminant validity, participants with high perceived socioeconomic status had significantly greater scores in “External Pressures & Constraints” and significantly lower scores in “Internal Stress & Uncertainty, while girls had significantly greater scores in both scales and greater total scores than boys. Conclusions: The Greek ASQ-14 emerges as a psychometrically sound tool for screening stress among Greek adolescents.