Abstract

Academic stress, a complex multifactorial process that reaches its highest levels at the university level and that to carry out effective interventions, needs valid and reliable instruments to measure it. The aim of this work was to evaluate the psychometric properties of an adapted version of the SISCO inventory of academic stress, called SISCO-II, aimed at measuring academic stress in university students. The instrument was applied to 1,126 university students from three Chilean universities. The confirmatory factor analysis showed good adjustment to the proposed structure of four factors (Stressors, Physical and psychological reactions, Social behavior reactions and Coping). The academic stress measure is made up of stressors, total reaction (physical, psychological and social behavior reactions) and coping strategies. The results support the usefulness of SISCO-II for diagnostic use and evaluation of interventions, being a valid and reliable scale.