Perceived stress in parents of children with neurodevelopmental disorders: psychometric properties of the stress measurement scale in the Moroccan dialect

Abstract

This research aims to evaluate the psychometric properties of the stress scale among parents of children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) by studying the validity, reliability, and cultural adaptation of this scale in the Moroccan context. The sample consists of 57 parents (both mothers and fathers) of children with NDD in different regions of Morocco; it is a self-administered questionnaire designed to assess “the degree to which individuals perceive situations in their lives as stressful”. This study showed that by removing the items Q4 and Q5, Cronbach’s α increases to 0.810, strengthening the reliability of the scale. Regarding the adaptation of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) to the Moroccan context, the adjustment indices revealed a moderate fit of the model to the data. Therefore, the results confirm the validity of the 8-item PSS scale in the Moroccan context. In order to improve the accuracy of the measurements, future research could focus on the integration of physiological biomarkers; an approach combining these two aspects could provide a more comprehensive and nuanced assessment of the stress response, promoting more targeted and effective interventions in the field of mental health and well-being.