Academic Psychological Distress Scale: Development and Psychometric Validation of a Multidimensional Measure for University Students

This study aimed to develop and validate the Academic Psychological Distress Scale (APDS) to assess psychological distress in university students across multiple domains. Two student samples (N = 310 for exploratory factor analysis, EFA; N = 367 for confirmatory factor analysis, CFA) completed the preliminary scale alongside measures of academic and general psychological distress. EFA identified a 6-factor structure with 37 items, reduced to 25 items after CFA. The factors included academic anxiety, stress somatic responses, loneliness, negative self-worth, fatigue, and demoralization, with an excellent model fit (χ2/df = 2.31; RMSEA = .06 [CIs = .05, .06]; CFI = .94; TLI = .93; SRMR = .04). Furthermore, the APDS demonstrated evidence of convergent, discriminant, and construct validity, showing correlations with psychological distress, academic stress, and academic engagement and performance. Despite methodological and sample-related limitations, the APDS offers a reliable, multidimensional tool for assessing academic distress, supporting targeted interventions for university students.