Validation of the DASS-21 Scales

The 21-item Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales was selected for this validation. Each of the three sub-scales: (DASS21-D), Anxiety (DASS21-A), and Stress (DASS21-S) has seven items. Each item comprises a statement and four short response options to reflect severity and scored from 0 (Did not apply to me at all) to 3 (Applied to me very much, or most of the time). In order to yield equivalent scores to the full DASS 42, the total score of each scale is multiplied by two [5 ] and ranges from 0 to 42. In the normative sample based on 1870 Australian females aged 17 to 79 years, means (standard deviation) were 6.14 (6.92) for the DASS21-D sub-scale; 4.80 (5.03) for the DASS21-A subscale and 10.29 (8.16) for the DASS21-S subscale [5 ]. The DASS sub-scale severity ratings suggested for Australia are shown in Table 1.
It was validated against individual psychiatrist-administered Structured Clinical Interviews for DSM IV Axis 1 Diagnoses (SCID) modules for depression (mild, moderate, and severe Major Depression or Dysthymia) and anxiety (Generalised Anxiety Disorder and Panic Disorder) in this study [18 ].