CEME Technical Report - January 2023 - Identifying Cultural Differences in Responses to Stress-related Measures in German and Singaporean Social Work Students

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Rhys

Cross-cultural measurement requires testing whether language or cultural effects systematically influence results. This paper presents differential item functioning (DIF) analyses for the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Preventive Resources Inventory (PRI), and the Brief COPE. Data from N=860 German and Singapore social work students are analyzed with the Rasch Partial Credit Model by comparing item difficulties. Large DIF appears in selected items across all three instruments, and implications for using the measures are discussed.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

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Pages24

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Abstract

Cross-cultural measurement rationale

Theoretical background: cultural thought and cognitive processes

Social axioms framework

Measurement invariance assumption

Stress in social work and study purpose

Study context and languages in Singapore

| CEMETR-2023-01 JANUARY 2023 | CEME
Technical Report | | --- | --- | | | | | The Center for | Educational Measurement and Evaluation | | A PUBLICATION OF THE CENTER FOR EDUCATIONAL MEASUREMENT AND EVALUATION | Identifying Cultural Differences in Responses to Stressrelated Measuresin German and Singaporean Social Work Students
Andrea D. Schwanzer Annette Ullrich Richard G. Lambert
| Identifying Cultural Differences in Responses to Stress-related Measures in German and Singaporean Social Work Students Andrea D. Schwanzer Hochschule Hannover (Hannover University of Applied Sciences and Arts) Annette Ullrich Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg (Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University) Richard G. Lambert Center for Educational Measurement and Evaluation UNC Charlotte Abstract To test hypotheses in cross-cultural studies, it is necessary to investigate whether results might be affected systematically by language or cultural effects. In this paper the results of differential item functioning (DIF) analyses for the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Preventive Resources Inventory (PRI), and the Brief COPE are presented. Data from N = 860 German and Singapore social work students were analyzed using the Rasch Partial Credit Model by comparing item difficulties. Large DIF was found in 3 of the 10 items from the PSS, in 15 of 82 items from the PRI and in 5 out of 28 items from the Brief COPE. Implications for the use of the measures are discussed. Identifying Cultural Differences in Responses to Stress-related Measures in German and Singaporean Social Work Students Social work is both an academic discipline and a practice-based profession adhering to“the principles of social justice, human rights, collective responsibility and respect for diversities”(IFSW, 2014) . Social workers around the world adhere to these shared values and attempt to implement them through similar methods. The key practices ofthe social work professions used around the globe are case-work, group work and community work. However, there are many differences in social policies, economic, historical and political contexts as well as in the professional role, function, and public perception of social work between geographically diverse countries and cultural contexts (Healy & Meager, 2004; Weiss et al., 2004) . Differences in people’s thought systems, worldviews, and cognitive processes can explain their differing attitudes and beliefs as well as their values and preferences. According to Nisbett (2003) observational and survey research documents that different social practices correspond with different thought patterns. For example, Ji et al. (2000) and Nisbett et al.(2001) were able to distinguish between interdependence (seeing oneself as embedded in relationships with others) and independence (seeing oneself as disconnected from others) . Asian cognition has been described as more holistic, thus Asians pay more attention to the complexity of things. Westerners on the other hands, focus more on objects and are control oriented (Masuda & Nisbett, 2001) . The collective nature of Asian society is consistent with their belief that things are highly complex and depend on multiple factors. The individualistic nature of Western society corresponds with their “belief that they can know the rules governing objects” and that they can therefore control their behavior (Nisbett, 2003, p. xvii) . The social axiom construct is a frequently used framework for better understanding of different behaviors across diverse cultures (Leung & Bond, 2004) . Leung et al. (2002) defined social axioms as general beliefs about the social world. These general beliefs can include 1) social cynicism, a belief that manipulation is an effective strategy to get ahead of others (Leung et al., 2002) and a negative view of both human nature and the social world (Leung et al., 2011), 2) reward for application, a belief that positive outcomes and

FAQs

Why is measurement invariance important in cross-cultural studies of stress measures?

Researchers must assume the constructs and factor structures remain constant across cultural and linguistic contexts. This allows subgroup differences to be interpreted as substantive rather than artifacts of measurement error.

Which instruments are analyzed using differential item functioning (DIF)?

The paper analyzes the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Preventive Resources Inventory (PRI), and the Brief COPE, comparing item difficulties using the Rasch Partial Credit Model.

What do the DIF results indicate about cultural and linguistic effects?

Large DIF is found in specific items: 3 of 10 items in the PSS, 15 of 82 items in the PRI, and 5 of 28 items in the Brief COPE, suggesting differential responding across groups.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Rhys