A Psychometric Evaluation of the Expanded Version of the Inventory of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms (IDAS-II) in Children and Adolescents

Abstract

The expanded version of the Inventory of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms (IDAS-II) is a self-report measure of 18 empirically derived internalizing symptom dimensions. The measure has shown good psychometric properties in adults but has never been evaluated in children and adolescents. A Swedish version of the IDAS-II was administered to 633 children and adolescents ( Mage =16.6 [ SD = 2.0]) and 203 adults ( Mage = 35.4 [ SD = 12.1]). The model/data fit of the 18-factor structure was excellent in both samples and measurement invariance across age groups was supported. All scales showed good to excellent internal consistency and psychometric properties replicated in the younger youth sample (< 16 years). Among youth, good convergent validity was established for all scales and divergent validity for most scales. The IDAS-II was better at identifying youth with current mental health problems than an internationally recommended scale of internalizing symptoms. In conclusion, the IDAS-II shows promise as a measure of internalizing symptoms in youth.

The Brazilian version of the Inventory of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms–Expanded Version: Internal structure, invariance by sex and race, and associations with pathological personality traits.

“…Petre et al (2023) reported the same structure that was presented in Wester et al (2022). Cervin et al (2024) also reported that Well-Being cross-loaded on the Distress factor; additionally, conversely to previous findings, they also noted that the Appetite Gain scale did not load on any factor in the adult sample. The internal structure of the IDAS-II has never been tested for invariance across sex or race.…”

“…The models tested based on Cervin et al (2024), Watson et al (2012), and Wester et al (2022), Petre et al (2023) presented acceptable fit indices with and without the higher order factor. The two models based on ESEM also showed reasonable fit indices, although they did not yield the best interpretability (as highlighted regarding the Mania, Traumatic Avoidance, and Social Anxiety scales); therefore, they were not considered for further analysis.…”

“…The structure of those models is actually similar, with differences mostly regarding the existence of cross-loadings. Given the slight differences in fit indices and the absence of excellent fit for any model, as highlighted in the results section, we acknowledge that other models with acceptable fit indices (e.g., Cervin et al, 2024;Watson et al, 2012) are also plausible for the Brazilian IDAS-II. Therefore, the results reported here should be further investigated and replicated in other studies.…”

“…The IDAS-II has been adapted into Turkish (Irak & Albayrak, 2020), Spanish (De la Rosa-Cáceres et al, 2020), Swedish (Cervin et al, 2024), Romanian (Petre et al, 2023), and German (Wester et al, 2022). However, we could not find a version available in Portuguese.…”

“…Although six studies have found a three-factor structure—consisting of Distress, Obsessions/Fear, and Positive Mood—for the IDAS-II (Cervin et al, 2024; De la Rosa-Cáceres et al, 2020; Irak & Albayrak, 2020; Petre et al, 2023; Watson et al, 2012; Wester et al, 2022), they diverged in some ways. Watson et al (2012) and Irak and Albayrak (2020) reported a slight difference in the location of the Appetite Gain scale.…”