Assessment of the Pros and Cons of Stress Management among Adolescents: Development and Validation of a Decisional Balance Measure

Purpose. This article reports on the development of a decisional balance measure based on the transtheoretical model (TTM) for stress management among adolescents. Design. Measurement development was conducted with participants of a pilot survey. Setting. Surveys were completed in health and physical education classes. Subjects. Ninth and tenth graders (N = 317) completed an assessment of TTM constructs. Measures. The focus of this paper is the development of a decisional balance measure. Analysis. A split-half cross-validation procedure was implemented. Results. A brief, reliable eight-item instrument was developed measuring the pros and cons of practicing stress management. A theoretically consistent pattern of pros and cons across the stages of change was obtained and indicated construct validity. Girls were more likely to practice and acknowledge benefits of stress management. Conclusion. This instrument will aid future work on promoting stress management practices among adolescents, particularly when using the TTM to develop interventions.