Systematic Review of the Psychometric Evidence Supporting Use of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales, Short Form (DASS-21) with Youth.

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Title: Systematic Review of the Psychometric Evidence Supporting Use of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales, Short Form (DASS-21) with Youth.
Authors: Dwight, Aberdine R.1, Briesch, Amy M.1 a.briesch@northeastern.edu, Hoffman, Jessica A.1, Rutt, Christopher2
Source: Child & Youth Care Forum. Oct2024, Vol. 53 Issue 5, p1235-1250. 16p.
Subject Terms: *Research methodology evaluation, *High school students, *Anxiety, *Research methodology, *Factor analysis, *Mental depression, *ERIC (Information retrieval system), *Adolescence, Multitrait multimethod techniques, Research evaluation, Descriptive statistics, Systematic reviews, MEDLINE, Psychological stress, Psychometrics, Statistical reliability, Psychology information storage & retrieval systems, Sensitivity & specificity (Statistics)
Abstract: Background: Although the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales, Short Form (DASS-21) was developed for adults, its authors noted no compelling reasons to not use the measure with youth as young as 12 years. Despite increasingly widespread use with youth, psychometric evidence in support of its use with this population needs to be investigated to fully understand its utility. Objective: The goal of this paper was to conduct a systematic review to identify and appraise evidence for the psychometric properties of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales, Short Form (DASS-21) when used with youth populations. Methods: Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, this systematic review identified 18 studies that reported relevant information on the psychometrics of the DASS-21 with youth samples. Each article was coded for evidence of three indicators of particular importance to progress monitoring: reliability, validity, and sensitivity to change. Results: Studies have found varied factor structures (i.e., 1–4 factors) for the DASS-21 and validity evidence based on relations to other variables has been limited. As such, further research is needed to understand the utility of the depression, anxiety, and stress subscales. Furthermore, no information is currently available about the sensitivity to change of the measure. Conclusions: Most studies reporting psychometric properties in this review utilized the DASS-21 with mixed-gender groups of secondary school students, thus supporting its use with similar populations. Pending additional inquiry, however, both researchers and practitioners are encouraged to utilize the total score, for which stronger evidence of reliability and validity exist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Abstract:Background: Although the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales, Short Form (DASS-21) was developed for adults, its authors noted no compelling reasons to not use the measure with youth as young as 12 years. Despite increasingly widespread use with youth, psychometric evidence in support of its use with this population needs to be investigated to fully understand its utility. Objective: The goal of this paper was to conduct a systematic review to identify and appraise evidence for the psychometric properties of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales, Short Form (DASS-21) when used with youth populations. Methods: Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, this systematic review identified 18 studies that reported relevant information on the psychometrics of the DASS-21 with youth samples. Each article was coded for evidence of three indicators of particular importance to progress monitoring: reliability, validity, and sensitivity to change. Results: Studies have found varied factor structures (i.e., 1–4 factors) for the DASS-21 and validity evidence based on relations to other variables has been limited. As such, further research is needed to understand the utility of the depression, anxiety, and stress subscales. Furthermore, no information is currently available about the sensitivity to change of the measure. Conclusions: Most studies reporting psychometric properties in this review utilized the DASS-21 with mixed-gender groups of secondary school students, thus supporting its use with similar populations. Pending additional inquiry, however, both researchers and practitioners are encouraged to utilize the total score, for which stronger evidence of reliability and validity exist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:10531890
DOI:10.1007/s10566-024-09795-8