Validation of the Academic Psychological Distress Scale (APDS) and Its Relationship with Belief in Academic Meritocracy in Society

Subject Areas : Psychological Models and Methods

Bahman Esmaeili Enamegh ¹ , Sajad Basharpoor ² , Maria Francesca Freda ³ , Cristiano Scandurra ⁴

1 - دانشکده علوم تربیتی و روانشناسی،دانشگاه محقق اردبیلی،اردبیل،ایران
2 - دانشکده علوم تربیتی و روانشناسی، دانشگاه محقق اردبیل
3 - Department of Humanistic Studies, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
4 - Department of Humanistic Studies, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy

Received: 2025-06-27 Accepted : 2025-09-20 Published : 2025-09-22

Keywords: Academic Psychological Distress, Validation, Scientific Meritocracy,

Abstract :

Background and purpose: The present study aimed to validate the Academic Psychological Distress Scale (APDS) and examine its relationship with the belief in scientific meritocracy in society among university students.

Methods: This study was descriptive and conducted as a psychometric investigation. The population included all students in the 2024–2025 academic year who participated via an online call on social media. A sample of 714 participants was selected using a convenience sampling method. Data were collected using the Academic Psychological Distress Scale (APDS; Scandurra et al., 2025), the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12; Goldberg & Williams, 1978), and a researcher-developed scale measuring belief in academic meritocracy. The data were analyzed using SPSS-24 and AMOS-24 statistical software.

Findings: Exploratory factor analysis identified 24 items across six factors—academic anxiety, somatic responses to stress, academic loneliness, negative academic self-worth, academic fatigue, and academic demotivation—which together explained 73.63% of the total variance. Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated satisfactory model fit indices. Internal consistency, composite reliability, and test-retest reliability for the subscales and the overall scale all exceeded 0.70. Positive correlations with the GHQ-12 supported convergent validity (R=0.61), while negative correlations with belief in scientific meritocracy confirmed divergent validity (R=-0.64).

Conclusion: The Academic Psychological Distress Scale demonstrated acceptable validity and reliability, and it can be considered a reliable instrument for research and clinical assessment of psychological distress among students. Furthermore, a decrease in belief in scientific meritocracy in society was associated with an increase in academic psychological distress among students.

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