Ella Anghel1. 1. Department of Measurement, Evaluation, Statistics, and Assessment, Lynch School of Education and Human Development, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The study investigates the psychometric properties of the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales (DASS-21). METHOD: The DASS-21 was administered to a community sample twice over the course of 7 months ( N T 1 = 235 and N T 2 = 171; 51% female, Mage = 22 years). A partial credit Rasch model was used to determine the scales' longitudinal invariance and reliability. RESULTS: The DASS-21 mostly demonstrated longitudinal invariance across administrations. The Depression and Anxiety subscales were sufficiently reliable to distinguish among the suggested severity categories, but the Stress scale was not. CONCLUSION: Several revisions of the DASS are recommended. It is also suggested that the Stress scale should be used with caution, given its low reliability.
OBJECTIVES: The study investigates the psychometric properties of the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales (DASS-21). METHOD: The DASS-21 was administered to a community sample twice over the course of 7 months ( N T 1 = 235 and N T 2 = 171; 51% female, Mage = 22 years). A partial credit Rasch model was used to determine the scales' longitudinal invariance and reliability. RESULTS: The DASS-21 mostly demonstrated longitudinal invariance across administrations. The Depression and Anxiety subscales were sufficiently reliable to distinguish among the suggested severity categories, but the Stress scale was not. CONCLUSION: Several revisions of the DASS are recommended. It is also suggested that the Stress scale should be used with caution, given its low reliability.