The Development and Psychometric Validation of the Brief Disability-Related Stress Scale in Individuals With Multiple Sclerosis

Abstract

Disability-related stress is the unique stressful experiences and challenges people with disabilities encounter. The goal of the study was to develop and validate the Brief Disability-Related Stress Scale (BDRSS) in a sample of people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Findings demonstrated that the BDRSS is unidimensional and has good psychometric properties (internal consistency reliability coefficient [Cronbach’s α = .86]). The BDRSS was also found to correlate with the Perceived Stress Scale–10 (PSS-10; r = .69). Results of this study suggested the potential clinical utility of incorporating the BDRSS in rehabilitation, mental health, and neuropsychology settings to assess stressors experienced by people with MS.

Keywords

stress disability multiple sclerosis

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