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Development of the Academic Stress Scale for Adolescents and Examination of Perceived Academic Stress among Chinese Adolescents

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Title: Development of the Academic Stress Scale for Adolescents and Examination of Perceived Academic Stress among Chinese Adolescents
Language: English
Authors: Yawei Huang (ORCID 0000-0002-7956-2799), Jonathan F. Zaff, Gabriel J. Merrin, Jennifer Greif Green, Michael A. Medina
Source: Psychology in the Schools. 2026 63(5):924-939.
Availability: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 16
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Junior High Schools
Middle Schools
High Schools
Descriptors: Stress Variables, Adolescents, Student Responsibility, Expectation, Gender Differences, Middle School Students, High School Students, Foreign Countries, Test Construction, Test Validity, Stress Management
Geographic Terms: China
DOI: 10.1002/pits.70136
ISSN: 0033-3085
1520-6807
Abstract: Academic stress is a common daily stressor among adolescents worldwide, particularly for secondary school students facing the pressure of preparing for postsecondary admission. Building on existing literature and using a sample of 903 adolescents (M[subscript age] = 14.91, SD[subscript age] = 1.79) attending public secondary schools in China, the current study developed the Academic Stress Scale for Adolescents (ASSA) through a series of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA). The 12-item ASSA assesses three dimensions of perceived academic stress among secondary school students: academic burden, external expectations, and self-expectations. The associations with perceived life stress offered evidence supporting the validity of the score interpretations. Measurement invariance by gender (female vs. male) and school level (middle school vs. high school) was supported through multi-group CFA. In terms of subgroup differences, female students reported greater academic stress related to self-expectations than male students, while no gender differences were found for academic burden or external expectations. High school students reported greater academic stress across all three dimensions, while middle school students showed more variability. The findings suggest that school-based stress management interventions should target specific sources of stress and be tailored to students' gender, grade levels, and potentially other characteristics.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1502054
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
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  Data: Development of the Academic Stress Scale for Adolescents and Examination of Perceived Academic Stress among Chinese Adolescents
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Yawei+Huang%22">Yawei Huang</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7956-2799">0000-0002-7956-2799</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Jonathan+F%2E+Zaff%22">Jonathan F. Zaff</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Gabriel+J%2E+Merrin%22">Gabriel J. Merrin</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Jennifer+Greif+Green%22">Jennifer Greif Green</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Michael+A%2E+Medina%22">Michael A. Medina</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Psychology+in+the+Schools%22"><i>Psychology in the Schools</i></searchLink>. 2026 63(5):924-939.
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  Data: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
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  Data: Y
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  Data: 16
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  Data: 2026
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  Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Secondary+Education%22">Secondary Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Junior+High+Schools%22">Junior High Schools</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Middle+Schools%22">Middle Schools</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22High+Schools%22">High Schools</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Stress+Variables%22">Stress Variables</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Adolescents%22">Adolescents</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+Responsibility%22">Student Responsibility</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Expectation%22">Expectation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Gender+Differences%22">Gender Differences</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Middle+School+Students%22">Middle School Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22High+School+Students%22">High School Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foreign+Countries%22">Foreign Countries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Test+Construction%22">Test Construction</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Test+Validity%22">Test Validity</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Stress+Management%22">Stress Management</searchLink>
– Name: Subject
  Label: Geographic Terms
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22China%22">China</searchLink>
– Name: DOI
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  Data: 10.1002/pits.70136
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  Data: 0033-3085<br />1520-6807
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
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  Data: Academic stress is a common daily stressor among adolescents worldwide, particularly for secondary school students facing the pressure of preparing for postsecondary admission. Building on existing literature and using a sample of 903 adolescents (M[subscript age] = 14.91, SD[subscript age] = 1.79) attending public secondary schools in China, the current study developed the Academic Stress Scale for Adolescents (ASSA) through a series of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA). The 12-item ASSA assesses three dimensions of perceived academic stress among secondary school students: academic burden, external expectations, and self-expectations. The associations with perceived life stress offered evidence supporting the validity of the score interpretations. Measurement invariance by gender (female vs. male) and school level (middle school vs. high school) was supported through multi-group CFA. In terms of subgroup differences, female students reported greater academic stress related to self-expectations than male students, while no gender differences were found for academic burden or external expectations. High school students reported greater academic stress across all three dimensions, while middle school students showed more variability. The findings suggest that school-based stress management interventions should target specific sources of stress and be tailored to students' gender, grade levels, and potentially other characteristics.
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  Data: 2026
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  Data: EJ1502054
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        Value: 10.1002/pits.70136
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      – Text: English
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        PageCount: 16
        StartPage: 924
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Stress Variables
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Adolescents
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Student Responsibility
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Expectation
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      – SubjectFull: Gender Differences
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      – SubjectFull: Middle School Students
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      – SubjectFull: High School Students
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      – SubjectFull: Foreign Countries
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      – SubjectFull: Test Construction
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      – SubjectFull: Test Validity
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      – SubjectFull: Stress Management
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: China
        Type: general
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      – TitleFull: Development of the Academic Stress Scale for Adolescents and Examination of Perceived Academic Stress among Chinese Adolescents
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