Measuring stress in the mildly intellectually handicapped: the factorial structure of the Subjective Stress Scale.

The team ran factor analyses on the Subjective Stress Scale for people with mild intellectual disability. They wanted to see if stress shows up in the same patterns as it does in the general population.

They tested one-, two-, and four-factor solutions. The goal was to check if the scale keeps its shape when used with this group.

All three factor models fit the data. The stress dimensions looked just like those seen in people without ID.

In plain words, the scale works. You can trust its scores when clients with mild ID rate their own stress.

Matson et al. (2009) later used stress measures in adults with mild ID and linked higher stress to depression. They built on this 1995 validation by showing the scores matter in real life.

van Timmeren et al. (2016), Patton et al. (2020), and Giné et al. (2017) did the same kind of factor-checking on other ID tools. They prove the method keeps working across languages and ages.

Matson et al. (2013) cataloged 114 assessment tools for adults with ID. The Subjective Stress Scale sits inside that list, so this paper is part of a bigger toolkit story.

You now have a quick, self-report stress scale that holds up with mild ID clients. No need to create a new tool or rely only on caregiver guesswork. Next time you write a mental-health goal, add the SSS to track subjective stress before and after intervention.