Validation of the lifestress inventory for people with a mild intellectual disability

Validation of the lifestress inventory for people with a mild intellectual disability

[Abstract]: The Subjective Stress Scale (SSS: Bramston & Bostock, 1994) was developed to measure
stress in people with a mild intellectual disability. In previous research, the SSS was
found to measure two broad dimensions of stress, the first a General Worry factor, the
second a factor that tapped concerns about Negative Interpersonal Relations (Bramston &
Fogarty, 1995). The present study sought to continue this line of research by introducing
a slightly modified form of the SSS, to be known as the Lifestress Inventory (LI) and
examining the psychometric properties of the scale when administered to a new sample
of 221 people with mild intellectual disabilities. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated
that three underlying factors corresponding to General Worry, Negative Interpersonal
Relations, and Coping were sufficient to account for the correlations among the items in
the LI. Rasch analysis indicated some improvements to the scoring format for the LI and
also showed that the most easily experienced stressors were associated with the Negative
Interpersonal Relations dimension. The refinements introduced by the LI and the further
demonstration that some of the broad stress dimensions identified in the general
population can also be found in people with an intellectual disability represent important
milestones for researchers interested in exploring reactions to stress among this
population.

File reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher/author.