Initial Clinical Validation of The Oxygen Plan Stress Number

Abstract

This article sought to provide an initial step in the clinical validation of The Oxygen Plan Stress Number.  307 healthy adults volunteered for this study from January 14, 2016 to April 25, 2017. All were asked to complete The Oxygen Plan Stress Test (Stress Test) and two standardized, clinically valid, well established instruments: The Beck Depression Inventory-II and the Symptom Checklist-90-R.  The tests yielded Beck Depression Index (BDI, from the Beck Depression Inventory-II), the Global Severity Index (GSI, from the SCL-90-R) and the Stress Number (from The Oxygen Plan Stress Test).  In some cases, scores were not available from all respondents for all three instruments; these cases were removed prior to analyses. The resultant sample consisted of 292 qualifying observations.  Statistical analyses revealed significant correlations between the Stress Number, and the Beck Depression Index as well as between the Stress Number and the Global Severity Index.  The sample correlation ranges are based on the establishment of a 95% confidence interval.  Each relationship was found to be significant at the P<.01 level.  The results of this study provide an initial, positive step in clinically validating the Stress Number.  These findings suggest that the Stress Number may be useful to a broad range of organizations interested in assessing stress levels of their employee and/or patient populations, using the results to develop initiatives to support employees and/or patients in reducing stress levels.  Further research using the Stress Number along with more rigorous methodologies in various clinical and organizational settings is suggested.