The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 8-Items Expresses Robust Psychometric Properties as an Ideal Shorter Version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21 Among Healthy Respondents From Three Continents

To examine the cultural limitations and implications in the applicability of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 8-items (DASS-8)—a shortened version of the DASS-21 recently introduced in an Arab sample—this study evaluated its psychometric properties, including measurement invariance, among healthy...

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Main Authors: Amira Mohammed Ali, Hiroaki Hori, Yoshiharu Kim, Hiroshi Kunugi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2022-03-01
Series:Frontiers in Psychology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.799769/full
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author Amira Mohammed Ali
Amira Mohammed Ali
Hiroaki Hori
Yoshiharu Kim
Hiroshi Kunugi
Hiroshi Kunugi
author_facet Amira Mohammed Ali
Amira Mohammed Ali
Hiroaki Hori
Yoshiharu Kim
Hiroshi Kunugi
Hiroshi Kunugi
author_sort Amira Mohammed Ali
collection DOAJ
description To examine the cultural limitations and implications in the applicability of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 8-items (DASS-8)—a shortened version of the DASS-21 recently introduced in an Arab sample—this study evaluated its psychometric properties, including measurement invariance, among healthy subjects from the United States, Australia, and Ghana. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed good fit of the DASS-8 relative to a 12-item version (DASS-12). Both the DASS-8 and the DASS-12 were invariant at all levels across genders, employment status, and students vs. non-students. The DASS-8/DASS-12 also expressed invariance at the configural and metric levels across all countries, albeit scalar invariance was not maintained due to misspecification of the factor loadings in the Ghanian sample. Mann–Whitney U test revealed significantly lower levels of mental symptomatology on the DASS measures among Ghanian students than in English-speaking respondents (both students and non-students). The DASS-8 expressed excellent internal consistency (coefficient alpha = 0.89), good convergent validity—noted by high values of item-total correlations (r = 0.87 to 0.88), good predictive validity—indicated by significantly strong correlation with the DASS-21 and its subscales (r = 0.95 to 0.80), and adequate discriminant validity—indicated by heterotrait–monotrait ratio of correlations <0.85. The DASS-8 correlated with the Internet Gaming Disorder-9, the Adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder Self-Report Scale, and the Individualism and Collectivism Scale/Culture Orientation Scale at the same level as the DASS-21 and the DASS-12, denoting its adequate criterion validity. The DASS-8 can be used as a brief alternative to the DASS-21 to screen for mental symptomatology in English-speaking and African cultures. However, the same scores on the DASS-8 and the DASS-12 may not always indicate the same level of symptom severity in subjects from different countries. Further inter-cultural evaluations of the DASS-8 are needed.
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spelling doaj.art-7fbb74c46e3a4f2a8009d16d1067c9d82022-12-22T00:16:30ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782022-03-011310.3389/fpsyg.2022.799769799769The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 8-Items Expresses Robust Psychometric Properties as an Ideal Shorter Version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21 Among Healthy Respondents From Three ContinentsAmira Mohammed Ali0Amira Mohammed Ali1Hiroaki Hori2Yoshiharu Kim3Hiroshi Kunugi4Hiroshi Kunugi5Department of Behavioral Medicine, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, JapanDepartment of Psychiatric Nursing and Mental Health, Faculty of Nursing, Alexandria University, Alexandria, EgyptDepartment of Behavioral Medicine, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, JapanDepartment of Behavioral Medicine, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, JapanDepartment of Psychiatry, Teikyo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, JapanDepartment of Mental Disorder Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, JapanTo examine the cultural limitations and implications in the applicability of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 8-items (DASS-8)—a shortened version of the DASS-21 recently introduced in an Arab sample—this study evaluated its psychometric properties, including measurement invariance, among healthy subjects from the United States, Australia, and Ghana. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed good fit of the DASS-8 relative to a 12-item version (DASS-12). Both the DASS-8 and the DASS-12 were invariant at all levels across genders, employment status, and students vs. non-students. The DASS-8/DASS-12 also expressed invariance at the configural and metric levels across all countries, albeit scalar invariance was not maintained due to misspecification of the factor loadings in the Ghanian sample. Mann–Whitney U test revealed significantly lower levels of mental symptomatology on the DASS measures among Ghanian students than in English-speaking respondents (both students and non-students). The DASS-8 expressed excellent internal consistency (coefficient alpha = 0.89), good convergent validity—noted by high values of item-total correlations (r = 0.87 to 0.88), good predictive validity—indicated by significantly strong correlation with the DASS-21 and its subscales (r = 0.95 to 0.80), and adequate discriminant validity—indicated by heterotrait–monotrait ratio of correlations <0.85. The DASS-8 correlated with the Internet Gaming Disorder-9, the Adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder Self-Report Scale, and the Individualism and Collectivism Scale/Culture Orientation Scale at the same level as the DASS-21 and the DASS-12, denoting its adequate criterion validity. The DASS-8 can be used as a brief alternative to the DASS-21 to screen for mental symptomatology in English-speaking and African cultures. However, the same scores on the DASS-8 and the DASS-12 may not always indicate the same level of symptom severity in subjects from different countries. Further inter-cultural evaluations of the DASS-8 are needed.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.799769/fullpsychological distress/stress/anxiety/depressionshort form of the depression anxiety stress scale 21 (DASS-21)/depression anxiety stress scale 8-itemsfactorial structure/psychometric properties/predictive validity/convergent validity/validation/measurement invariancehealthy individualsstudentscoronavirus disease 2019/COVID-19
spellingShingle Amira Mohammed Ali
Amira Mohammed Ali
Hiroaki Hori
Yoshiharu Kim
Hiroshi Kunugi
Hiroshi Kunugi
The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 8-Items Expresses Robust Psychometric Properties as an Ideal Shorter Version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21 Among Healthy Respondents From Three Continents
Frontiers in Psychology
psychological distress/stress/anxiety/depression
short form of the depression anxiety stress scale 21 (DASS-21)/depression anxiety stress scale 8-items
factorial structure/psychometric properties/predictive validity/convergent validity/validation/measurement invariance
healthy individuals
students
coronavirus disease 2019/COVID-19
title The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 8-Items Expresses Robust Psychometric Properties as an Ideal Shorter Version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21 Among Healthy Respondents From Three Continents
title_full The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 8-Items Expresses Robust Psychometric Properties as an Ideal Shorter Version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21 Among Healthy Respondents From Three Continents
title_fullStr The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 8-Items Expresses Robust Psychometric Properties as an Ideal Shorter Version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21 Among Healthy Respondents From Three Continents
title_full_unstemmed The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 8-Items Expresses Robust Psychometric Properties as an Ideal Shorter Version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21 Among Healthy Respondents From Three Continents
title_short The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 8-Items Expresses Robust Psychometric Properties as an Ideal Shorter Version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21 Among Healthy Respondents From Three Continents
title_sort depression anxiety stress scale 8 items expresses robust psychometric properties as an ideal shorter version of the depression anxiety stress scale 21 among healthy respondents from three continents
topic psychological distress/stress/anxiety/depression
short form of the depression anxiety stress scale 21 (DASS-21)/depression anxiety stress scale 8-items
factorial structure/psychometric properties/predictive validity/convergent validity/validation/measurement invariance
healthy individuals
students
coronavirus disease 2019/COVID-19
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.799769/full
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