A Psychometric Examination of Digital Stress in Adolescents

Digital stress is increasingly recognized as a correlate of adolescent internalizing symptoms, yet evidence on reliable and culturally appropriate measurement remains limited in Chinese samples. We evaluated the factor structure, reliability, test–retest stability, convergent validity, and measurement invariance of the Digital Stress Scale (DSS). A total of 2,191 adolescents (ages 11–17) from three Chinese cities completed measures of digital stress, depression, anxiety, and short-form video addiction. The sample was randomly split for cross-validation. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a four-factor DSS-16, with the original fear-of-missing-out facet not retained. The DSS-16 showed strong internal consistency and moderate 6-month test–retest reliability. Convergent validity was evidenced by positive associations with depression, anxiety, and short-form video addiction. Multigroup models indicated metric and scalar invariance across sex, school level, urban–rural residence, only-child status, and paternal and maternal education level. The DSS-16 is a brief, reliable, and invariant measure of adolescent digital stress in China, suitable for equitable screening and research in mental health contexts.