Clinical Psychological Assessment of Stress: A Narrative Review of the Last 5 Years

Objective: Work-related stress typically occurs due to particularly challenging dynamics, risks and pressure. Prolonged exposure to stress may cause serious consequences on psychophysical well-being. The current study was conducted to re-examine the clinical instruments useful for evaluating the risk factors and to examine two closely linked dimensions, which may constitute protective factors such as coping strategies and satisfaction.Method: Through a narrative review of the scientific literature of the last 5 years, carried out through the PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus databases, the most relevant clinical instruments used in the evaluation of stress, job satisfaction and coping strategies were examined.Results: Based on the considered inclusion criteria, 142 articles were selected, and 10 of the most used psycho-diagnostic instruments were identified for the evaluation of the three dimensions. The selected assessment instruments were deeply discussed in order to highlight strengths and limitations.Conclusions: A variety of studies used a range of psycho-diagnostic tools in order to measure stress, coping strategies and job satisfaction. However, their integration is necessary to guarantee a complete evaluation protocol.