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THE POST SECONDARY STUDENT STRESSORS INDEXThe PSSI is a 46-item index of stressors specific to post-secondary students in Canada. The tool was designed by Dr. Brooke Linden with extensive involvement and collaboration with students. The tool invites students to evaluate stressors by both severity and frequency of occurrence across five major domains of stress: academics, the learning environment, campus culture, interpersonal stressors, and personal stressors. The goal of the PSSI is to facilitate the improvement and refinement of upstream student wellness services on Canadian campuses.
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HOW DOES IT WORK?The PSSI is delivered as an online survey. Participants are asked to rate each stressor on the index by severity of stress, and frequency of occurrence. The means (averages) of the severity and frequency for each stressor can then be plotted on a 2x2 graph, as below.
Results from pilot test conducted at an Ontario University (n=535)
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PUBLICATIONSPsychometric Assessment of the PSSI
In 2019, Linden and Stuart published an article in BMC Public Health detailing the complete development and psychometric assessment of the PSSI. Ultimately, excellent evidence of preliminary validity and reliability was observed. The article is open-access, and available via the download below. 
Proof of Concept and Utility of the PSSI
In 2020, Linden, Boyes and Stuart published an article in the Journal of American College Health demonstrating the utility of the PSSI. The analysis reported in this paper was completed using data collected from the pilot testing of the tool (n = 535). Results of this research demonstrate how the PSSI can be used to improve targeting of upstream mental health services on campus. [Add file download when available]
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CURRENT RESEARCH
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Multi-site Project Timeline
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FUTURE RESEARCH
- Development of adolescent version of PSSI targeting secondary school students (transition period from high school to post-secondary)
