General distress, wellbeing and treatment outcomes
Perceived Stress Scale (PSS)
Score interpretation for Perceived Stress Scale (PSS)
Reference information · Score-entry tool
- Last content update
- 2026-10-26
- Clinical review
- Not independently reviewed
- Source jurisdiction
- See individual sources
- Coverage
- Score-entry tool
| Field | Instrument context |
|---|---|
| Version | PSS-10; ten-item version |
| Respondent | Self-report |
| Purpose | Score interpretation for Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) |
Clinician score entry
Apply the official reverse key to the completed past-month PSS-10, then enter the total.
Scores stay in this page’s memory. Reset or leave the page to clear them. Use the exact instrument version and its authorized form.
Administration
Apply the official reverse key to the completed past-month PSS-10, then enter the total.
Scoring method
Ten 0–4 items yield 0–40 after reversing items 4, 5, 7 and 8.
Interpretation & limitations
- The developer states that PSS is not diagnostic and has no prescribed score cutoffs. Higher values represent more perceived stress.
- Do not transfer PSS-14 or PSS-4 totals or label arbitrary low/moderate/high bands as validated cutoffs.