Validation of the Academic Psychological Distress Scale (APDS) and Its Relationship with Belief in Academic Meritocracy in Society
Subject Areas : Psychological Models and Methods
بهمن اسماعیلی انامق
1
,
سجاد بشرپور
2
*
,
Maria Francesca Freda
3
,
Cristiano Scandurra
4
1 -
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
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.
Aarts, B., Chalker, S., Weiner, E. S. C., & Weiner, E. S. C. (2014). The Oxford dictionary of English grammar (2. ed., [fully rev. and updated]). Oxford Univ. Press.
Brun, L., Pansu, P., & Dompnier, B. (2021). The role of causal attributions in determining behavioral consequences: A meta-analysis from an intrapersonal attributional perspective in achievement contexts. Psychological Bulletin, 147(7), 701–718. https://doi.org/10.1037/ bul0000331
Darnon, C., Sicard, A., Normand, A., & Martinot, D. (2024). Academic failure and psychological disengagement: Can belief in school meritocracy make a difference? Educational Psychology, 44(6-7), 765–783. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2024.2394691
Franzen, J., Jermann, F., Ghisletta, P., Rudaz, S., Bondolfi, G., & Tran, N. T. (2021). Psychological distress and well-being among students of health disciplines: The importance of academic satisfaction. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(4), 2151.
Garrison, Y., Rice, A., & Liu, W. (2021). The American meritocracy myth stress: Scale development and initial validation. The Counselling Psychologist. 49(1), 80-105. https:doi-org.libproxy.mta.ca/10.117 7/00110000020962072
Graham, S. (2020). An attributional theory of motivation. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 61, Article 101861. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2020.101861
Granieri, A., Franzoi, I. G., & Chung, M. C. (2021). Psychological distress among university students. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 647940.
Granieri, A., Franzoi, I. G., & Chung, M. C. (2021). Psychological distress among university students. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 647940.
Henri, G. (2022). Meritocracy beliefs and psychological wellbeing of university students (Honours thesis, Department of Psychology). Mount Allison University.
Henriksson, I. (2024). Belief in meritocratic values and burnout: A quantitative study of Finnish young adults in working life (Master's thesis, University of Helsinki, Faculty of Social Sciences, Social Psychology). University of Helsinki.
Jung, F. U., Löbner, M., Rodriguez, F. S., Engel, C., Kirsten, T., Reyes, N., ... & Riedel-Heller, S. G. (2024). Associations between person-environment fit and mental health-results from the population-based LIFE-Adult-Study. BMC public health, 24(1), 2083.
Kim, C.-H., & Choi, Y.-B. (2017). How Meritocracy is Defined Today?: Contemporary Aspects of Meritocracy. Economics & Sociology, 10(1), 112–121. https://doi.org/10.14254/2071789X.2017/10-1/8
Kreiner, C. T., & Olufsen, I. S. (2022). Is inequality in subjective well-being meritocratic? Danish evidence from linked survey and administrative data. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 203, 336–367. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2022.09.004
Locke, B. D., Buzolitz, J. S., Lei, P. W., Boswell, J. F., McAleavey, A. A., Sevig, T. D., & Hayes, J. A. (2011). Development of the Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms-62 (CCAPS-62). Journal of Counseling Psychology, 58(1), 97–109. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021282
Madeira, A. F., Costa-Lopes, R., Dovidio, J. F., Freitas, G., & Mascarenhas, M. F. (2019). Primes and consequences: A systematic review of meritocracy in intergroup relations. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 2007. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02007
McIntyre, J. C., Worsley, J., Corcoran, R., Harrison Woods, P., & Bentall, R. P. (2018). Academic and non-academic predictors of student psychological distress: The role of social identity and loneliness. Journal of Mental Health, 27(3), 230-239.
Pizzo, R., Esposito, G., Passeggia, R., & Freda, M. F. (2024). Psychological counselling for students in higher education: a systematic review of its effectiveness on mental health and academic functioning. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/09515070.2024.2434533
Samlan, H., Hawley McWhirter, E., & Clark, B. A. (2021). The Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms-62 (CCAPS-62) and college academic outcomes. The Counseling Psychologist, 49(6), 882–06. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 00110000211010301
Scandurra, C., Pizzo, R., & Freda, M. F. (2024). A concept analysis on academic psychological distress: implications for clinical practice. 43(42):32931-32960. DOI:10.1007/s12144-024-06802-y
Scandurra, C., Pizzo, R., Esposito, G., & Freda, M. F. (2025). Academic Psychological Distress Scale: Development and Psychometric Validation of a Multidimensional Measure for University Students. Emerging Adulthood, 21676968251357346.
Sheldon, E., Simmonds-Buckley, M., Bone, C., Mascarenhas, T., Chan, N., Wincott, M., Barkham, M., Sow, K., & Hind, D. (2021). Prevalence and risk factors for mental health problems in university undergraduate students: A systematic review with meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders, 287, 282–292. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.03.054u`
Vargas-Salfate, S., Paez, D., Khan, S. S., Liu, J. H., & Gil de Zúñiga, H. (2018). System justification enhances well-being: A longitudinal analysis of the palliative function of system justification in 18 countries. British Journal of Social Psychology, 57(3), 567–590. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12254
Vasquez-Salgado, Y., Greenfield, P. M., & Guan, S. S. A. (2021). Home-school cultural value mismatch: Antecedents and consequences in a multi-ethnic sample transitioning to college. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 618479. https://doi.org/10.3389/ fpsyg.2021.618479
Zakeri, M., De La Cruz, A., Wallace, D., & Sansgiry, S. S. (2021). General anxiety, academic distress, and family distress among doctor of pharmacy students. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 85(10), 8522. https://doi.org/10. 5688/ajpe8522
Zeira, A. (2021). Mental health challenges related to neoliberal capitalism in the United States. Community Mental Health Journal. 58(2), 205-212. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-021-00840-7
Zhao, X. (2019). Does the belief in meritocracy predict well-being of low status college students when perceiving discrimination? Dissertation Abstracts International Section A: Humanities and Social Sciences. 81(11), 1-98.