P-45 Brief mental health measures for university students in Barbados: Psychometric properties of the Perceived Stress Scale-4 and Patient Health Questionnaire-4
Author(s):
MH Campbell, D Devonish, DMB Maynard NP Sobers, L Garner-Oneale, N Foster, D Akombo, OP Adams, K Singh
Year of Presentation:
2026
Objective: To measure the psychometric properties and construct validity of abbreviated versions of the Perceived
Stress Scale (PSS-4) and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-4) scales for use with university students in Barbados
Methods: We conducted a voluntary population survey via a a REDCap link sent to all student emails in June–July 2021, with three weekly reminders. The PHQ-4 is a screening tool designed to assess anxiety and depression simultaneously while the PSS-4 measures the extent to which respondents appraise their current life circumstances as stressful We calculated internal consistency using Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega then assessed factorial structure using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Finally, we examined concurrent validity with correlations of related measures.
Results: A total of 696 participants completed the PSS-4 and PHQ-4. Internal consistency for the PSS-4 was good (α=0.764; ω=0.762). For the PHQ-4, internal consistency was slightly stronger (α=0.886; ω=0.884). The fit statistics of PHQ-4 two-factor model were far better than those of the one-factor model, χ²(1)=0.49, p>0.05; CFI=0.99, NFI=99, TLI=0.99, RMSEA=0.001. Correlations among all scale scores were significant and in the theoretically expected directions.
Conclusion: This study provides psychometric support for short measures of perceived stress, anxiety, and depression useful for research and clinical work with university students in Barbados. A two-factor model provides the best fit for the PSS-4, providing empirical support for the clinical relevance of anxiety and depression subscales. Both measures are open-source and therefore accessible.