Confirmatory factor analysis and measurement invariance of the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) among Pakistani young adults

TL;DR

This study confirms the DASS-21 is a reliable tool for measuring mental health among young adults in Pakistan, with consistent results across genders.

Contribution

The study establishes the measurement invariance and reliability of the DASS-21 for young adults in Pakistan.

Findings

The DASS-21 showed excellent internal consistency and strong associations between its subscales.

The three-factor and one-factor models of the DASS-21 fit well and showed gender invariance.

The subscales were not clearly distinct in measuring separate constructs.

Abstract

The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) is recognized as being a widely used measure for the assessment of negative emotional states. While the DASS-21 has been widely used for assessing mental health in Pakistan, limited research has been done regarding its factor structure and measurement invariance.

To assess the factor structure and measurement invariance of the DASS-21 among young adults in Pakistan.

A large sample of 1361 Pakistani young adults had completed the scale during the current study comprising 666 males and 695 females with a mean age of 24.51 years.

Excellent internal consistency reliability was found for the overall DASS-21 and its three subscales (depression, anxiety and stress) ranging from r = .86 to .71 (Cronbach alpha). Moreover, the three subscales were strongly and significantly associated with one another. Additionally, the results showed a good fit of the three-factor model and the one-factor model of the DASS-21 aimed at assessing gender psychological distress. Strong measurement invariance was found regarding gender therefore showing that the DASS-21 is understood and interpreted similarly by males and females. However, little evidence was found regarding the three subscales (depression, anxiety and stress) for the measurement of three distinct constructs.

These findings confirm the utility of the DASS-21 for measuring mental health in Pakistan among young adults.

None Declared