Development of the Stress-induced Cognition Scale

Abstract

The objective of this study was to develop the stress-induced cognition scale (SCS). A preliminary survey was conducted on 109 healthy adults to obtain cognitive stress responses. Then, 215 healthy subjects completed a preliminary questionnaire. A comparison was made regarding cognitive stress responses among 73 patients with depressive disorders and 215 healthy subjects. Factor analysis of the SCS yielded 3 subscales: extreme thought, aggressive-hostile thought, and self-depreciative thought. The test-retest reliability for the 3 subscales and the total score was significantly high, ranging from 0.87 to 0.95. The Cronbach's α for the 3 subscales and total score ranged from 0.82 to 0.94. The convergent validity was calculated by correlating the 3 subscales and total score of the SCS with the total score of the global assessment of recent stress (GARS) scale, the perceived stress questionnaire (PSQ), and the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R). The correlations were all at significant levels. The depressive disorder group scored significantly higher than the healthy control group in all the subscale scores and total scores of the SCS. Female subjects were significantly higher than males in the total scores of the SCS. These results indicate that the SCS is highly reliable and valid, and that it can be utilized as an effective measure for research related to cognitive assessment.