Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS-21): Construct Validity Problem in Hispanics

Abstract

The main purpose of this research was to examine the construct validity of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS-21) in order to determine whether it is able to adequately discriminate between symptoms of depression and anxiety in the Hispanic population in Puerto Rico. This study has an instrumental design. A total of 1073 Hispanics participated in this psychometric study. The results showed that the DASS-21 has serious psychometric deficiencies, especially related to the construct validity, as well as convergent and discriminatory validity. In addition, it was shown that DASS-21 do not replicate the three-dimensional structure of the original instrument in the Hispanic community. Finally, it was confirmed that the DASS-21 have difficulty in properly identifying and discriminating between symptoms associated with depression and anxiety in a Hispanic population.

Coping Strategies as a Mental Health Protection Factor of Spanish Nurses during COVID-19

“…There are even signs of the pernicious effect of stress in some biological parameters of health professionals [ 38 ]. Nurses who have worked in COVID-19 units show higher levels of stress, exhaustion, and depressive mood as well as lower job satisfaction than their colleagues in the usual hospital units due especially to job tension and uncertainty about the future [ 39 , 40 , 41 ]. In addition, perceived threat can itself cause a diversity of psychological maladjustments [ 16 ].…”

Analiza stanu psychicznego i satysfakcji z pracy personelu medycznego w okresie pandemii COVID – 19

“…Questionnaire-Revised). Skala DASS-21 autorstwa Lovibond i Lovibond w tłumaczeniu Makary-Studzińskiej, składa się z trzech podskal, które mierzą objawy związane z depresją, lękiem i stresem.Narzędzie zawiera 21 pytań, dotyczących ostatniego tygodnia, na które należy odpowiedzieć zgodnie z podaną czterostopniową skalą ocen[18]. Wyniki badań właściwości psychometrycznych metody wykazały, że DASS-21 zapewnia odpowiedni poziom trafności i rzetelności do oceny stresu, lęku i depresji wśród pracowników ochrony zdrowia zaangażowanych w pandemię COVID-19[19].…”

Prevalence and risk factors associated with depressive symptoms among end-stage renal disease patients undergoing hemodialysis in Indian setting

“…The following guidelines are recommended for the interpretation of scores: In the depression section, score 0-9 shows normal or no depression, 10-13 shows mild depression, 14-20 shows moderate depression, 21-27 shows severe depression, and>27 indicates very severe depression. In the anxiety section, score 0-7 shows normal or no anxiety, 8-9 shows mild anxiety, 10-14 shows moderate anxiety, [15][16][17][18][19] shows severe anxiety, and>19 shows very severe anxiety. In the stress section, score 0-14 indicates normal or no anxiety, 15-18 indicates mild stress, 19-25 indicates moderate stress, 26-33 indicates severe stress, and>33 indicates very severe stress.…”

“…16 The DASS-21 has a strong interior reliability, convergent sustainability particularly for the depression scale. 17 Literatures showed that the prevalence of kidney disease may also indicate high prevalence of depression associated with renal disease; however, a large number of the studies are mostly focused on prevalence of kidney disease and their management rather than inspecting other associated risk factors. 18 The study was aimed to assess the prevalence of symptoms of depression in patients with ESRD undergoing hemodialysis and to determine the risk factors that may be associated with depressive symptoms.…”