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Table 2 PSS total score and health outcomes in Sweden and Bulgaria, separated and compared between boys and girls

From: Associations between perceived stress and health outcomes in adolescents

 

Sweden (n = 162)

Bulgaria (n = 465)

Boys (n = 95)

Girls (n = 67)

p-valuec

Boys (n = 333)

Girls (n = 132)

p-valuec

PSS total score, imputeda

 Number (%)

84 (57)

63 (43)

 

330 (71)

132 (29)

 

 Mean (SD)

25.8 (8.4)

28.8 (6.7)

0.02

22.6 (6.9)

26.7 (7.1)

 < 0.0001

 Range

2; 39

12; 42

 

2; 50

12; 44

 

 Quartilesb (%)

8/39/52/13

2/38/57/10

 

8/68/22/2

2/57/39/2

 

Health outcomes from questionnaire, number (%):

How are you, in general?

  Very good

41 (44)

19 (30)

0.04

124 (38)

46 (35)

0.10

  Good

40 (43)

27 (43)

143 (44)

52 (40)

  Reasonable

11 (12)

12 (19)

52 (16)

30 (23)

  Bad

1 (1)

4 (6)

4 (1)

2 (2)

  Very bad

1 (1)

1 (2)

2 (1)

0 (0)

Do you feel content with yourself?

 Yes, mostly

55 (58)

32 (49)

0.09

160 (49)

52 (40)

0.14

 Yes, sometimes

37 (39)

25 (38)

158 (49)

73 (56)

 No, almost never

3 (3)

8 (12)

7 (2)

5 (4)

Do you feel stressed by your schoolwork?

 Not at all

14 (16)

4 (6)

0.01

93 (29)

24 (18)

0.002

 A little

46 (51)

25 (39)

126 (39)

51 (39)

 Pretty much

25 (28)

22 (34)

64 (20)

22 (17)

 Much

5 (6)

13 (20)

42 (13)

35 (27)

How often have you had the following problems in the last 6 months?

Felt low

 Every day

2 (2)

8 (13)

 < 0.0001

10 (3)

15 (12)

0.003

  > 1 time/week

10 (11)

14 (22)

35 (11)

35 (27)

 About 1 time/week

7 (8)

11 (17)

46 (14)

37 (29)

 About 1 time/month

25 (28)

17 (27)

98 (31)

19 (15)

 Seldom/never

45 (51)

14 (22)

129 (41)

23 (18)

Irritated/bad mood

 Every day

7 (8)

8 (13)

0.03

13 (4)

23 (17)

 < 0.0001

  > 1 time/week

19 (21)

12 (19)

86 (26)

47 (36)

 About 1 time/week

19 (21)

22 (35)

99 (30)

33 (25)

 About 1 time/month

23 (25)

9 (14)

64 (19)

18 (14)

 Seldom/never

23 (25)

12 (19)

67 (20)

11 (8)

Anxious/worried

 Every day

3 (3)

3 (5)

0.01

11 (3)

14 (11)

 < 0.0001

  > 1 time/week

4 (4)

10 (16)

35 (11)

29 (22)

 About 1 time/week

10 (11)

11 (17)

61 (19)

44 (33)

 About 1 time/month

23 (26)

16 (25)

83 (25)

29 (22)

 Seldom/never

50 (56)

24 (38)

136 (42)

16 (12)

Feeling dizzy

 Every day

1 (1)

2 (3)

0.05

13 (4)

7 (5)

0.001

  > 1 time/week

4 (4)

5 (8)

27 (8)

16 (12)

 About 1 time/week

10 (11)

12 (19)

27 (8)

23 (18)

 About 1 time/month

20 (22)

17 (27)

67 (20)

29 (22)

 Seldom/never

55 (61)

27 (43)

195 (59)

56 (43)

 

Sweden (n = 162)

Bulgaria (n = 465)

Boys (n = 95)

Girls (n = 67)

p-valuec

Boys (n = 333)

Girls (n = 132)

p-valuec

Stomach ache

 Every day

2 (2)

3 (5)

0.03

5 (2)

4 (3)

 < 0.000

  > 1 time/week

2 (2)

7 (11)

16 (5)

16 (12)

 About 1 time/week

10 (11)

9 (14)

30 (9)

30 (23)

 About 1 time/month

30 (33)

31 (49)

86 (27)

56 (43)

 Seldom/never

48 (52)

13 (21)

180 (57)

23 (18)

Headache

 Every day

2 (2)

2 (3)

 < 0.0001

5 (2)

6 (5)

 < 0.0001

  > 1 time/week

4 (4)

9 (14)

34 (11)

33 (25)

 About 1 time/week

9 (10)

18 (29)

47 (15)

27 (21)

 About 1 time/month

32 (34)

21 (33)

97 (30)

33 (25)

 Seldom/never

46 (49)

13 (21)

136 (43)

31 (24)

Restless sleep

 Every day

5 (5)

5 (8)

0.54

13 (4)

9 (7)

 < 0.0001

 > 1 time/week

5 (5)

4 (6)

18 (6)

14 (11)

 About 1 time/week

14 (15)

10 (16)

19 (6)

17 (13)

 About 1 time/month

17 (18)

12 (19)

49 (15)

27 (20)

 Seldom/never

51 (55)

31 (50)

228 (70)

65 (49)

How often have you felt happy in the last 6 months?

 Every day

35 (38)

27 (43)

0.13

148 (45)

59 (46)

0.92

  > 1 time/week

26 (28)

18 (29)

146 (45)

55 (43)

 About 1 time/week

17 (18)

13 (21)

21 (6)

10 (8)

 About 1 time/month

5 (5)

1 (2)

5 (2)

3 (2)

 Seldom/never

10 (11)

4 (6)

7 (2)

2 (2)

How easy is it for you to talk to adults?

 Very easy

20 (22)

13 (20)

0.60

26 (8)

9 (7)

0.72

 Easy

13 (15)

17 (27)

55 (17)

30 (23)

 Neither easy nor difficult

26 (29)

15 (23)

76 (24)

27 (21)

 Difficult

16 (18)

9 (14)

68 (21)

34 (26)

 Very difficult

14 (16)

10 (16)

96 (30)

30 (23)

  1. aIf more than 50% missing, the scale was set to missing. If less than or equal to 50% missing, the missing items were imputed with the mean of the non-missing items
  2. bPSS total score divided into quartiles, 0–13, 14–27, 28–41, 42–56
  3. cP-value for test (t-test or chi2 test/fisher exact test) between boys and girls