Questionnaire for Somatic Assessment of Stress Symptoms: Primary Psychometric Validation (Stage II)

Abstract

Abstract

Background. Development and validation of tools for identifying stress-associated somatic manifestations are of great importance for clinical and psychological practice. Currently, there is a deficit of validated questionnaires for detecting stress-related somatization that provide comprehensive coverage of physiological systems. The development of a new questionnaire will create opportunities for studying the structure and mechanisms of somatic stress reactions, including the assessment of rarely analyzed but significant symptoms of stress experience, such as bruxism and masticatory muscle parafunctions. At the first stage, the development and theoretical justification of the new questionnaire were carried out. The present study represents the second stage of primary validation, including the assessment of psychometric properties prior to large-scale testing.

Objective. To conduct an initial psychometric validation of a new questionnaire for assessing somatic manifestations of stress in adults, including symptoms of bruxism and related masticatory muscle parafunctions.

Study Participants. Validation was conducted on 501 adult respondents (331 women and 170 men, aged 18–65, median age 42). Additional 50 participants (aged 22–70, median age 36) were involved in testing the questionnaire formulations.

Methods. A socio-demographic questionnaire, the Somatic Assessment of Stress Symptoms (55 items), and the following psychometric scales were used: PSM-25, Hamilton Anxiety Scale, Zung Depression Scale, Freiburg Personality Inventory, the Brief Resilience Scale, and PHQ-15. The correlation between the questionnaire and the external scales was assessed using Spearman’s correlation coefficient. The factorial structure of the questionnaire was evaluated by confirmatory factor analysis. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha, McDonald’s omega coefficients (ωh, ωt), and G6 (Guttman’s Lambda 6).

Results. The questionnaire demonstrated high reliability, validity, and significant test-retest stability.

Conclusions. The developed questionnaire exhibits satisfactory psychometric properties and is, in fact, the first tool capable of comprehensively identifying stress-associated somatic manifestations in adults. It covers a wide range of physiological systems and includes specific manifestations such as bruxism and masticatory muscle parafunctions, which have not previously been integrated into similar instruments. Accordingly, this tool can be recommended for subsequent studies, allowing further clarification of its validity, representativeness, and practical value in clinical and psychological practice.

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