Stress, stress factors, and self-report measures : clarification of power, a new factor

Abstract

The Check List of Arousal and Stress (CLAS) has been developed as an alternate form of the Stress Arousal Check List (SACL). Both offer assessment of two independent mood factors, stress and arousal, one employing adjectives and the other short phrases. A scale to assess a third factor, power, has also been developed and combined with the CLAS to form the Checklist of Arousal, Stress, and Power (CLASP). However, several items comprising the CLAS and CLASP showed small loadings on the appropriate factors. In this study, those items were replaced with other short simple phrases and their factor loadings ascertained. To further explore and assess the third factor, power, an alternate form of the power scale of the CLASP was developed. This power scale consists of single words, similar to the original SACL scales, and which was combined with the SACL to form the SACL-P. The study was conducted in two parts. In the first part, the original SACL was administered to 310 university students, using the symmetric response format. The results were factor analyzed to determine the effects of the symmetric response format, that is, whether the symmetric response format yielded results different (monopolar vs. bipolar) from those obtained in previous studies when an asymmetric response format was used.

Pearson Product Moment Correlation coefficients were computed. The results of these analyses were significant and indicated that Form A and Form B of the SACL are alternate forms of each other, and the SACL-P and the CLASP-R are alternate forms of each other. Pearson Product Moment Correlation coefficients also indicated that the checklists are reliable over time. (Abstract Shortened)