The « P Stress Questionnaire »:A new tool for the evaluation of stress-relatedbehaviours

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to present a new diagnostic evaluation tool, the Pisa Stress Questionnaire (PSQ). The PSQ is composed of 32 forced-choice response items: 16 use a binary endorsement scale; 15 use a 3-point endorsement scale that provides a degree of response; and one item requires the comparison of the participant’s behavioural evaluation to that of the population. The questionnaire was first handed out to a sample of 578 patients suffering from myocardial infarction, then to a “control group” (CG) composed of 524 participants, and to a “selected control group” (SCG) composed of 499 participants. Data processing consisted of an analysis of variance (ANOVA), post-hoc comparisons, factorial analysis, and item/total score and item/factors score correlations using Pearson’s r. These data have allowed for the identification and corroboration of six factors: “SENSE OF RESPONSABILITY” (SR), “VIGOR” (V), “STRESS DISORDERS” (SD), “PRECISION and PUNCTUALITY” (PP), “SPARE TIME” (ST), and “HYPERACTIVITY” (H). The consistency of the gathered results suggests the value of PSQ administration in epidemiological and clinical studies. Keywords: heart diseases, stress evaluation, lifestyle, type-A behaviour