Turkish version of the depression anxiety stress scale (DASS-42): Psychometric properties

Abstract

Objective: This study explores the reliability, the construct and convergent validity of the Turkish version of the DASS-42.

Methods: The Turkish-language version of the DASS-42 was administered to a non-clinical sample, broadly representative of a university student population (N=1102) in terms of demographic variables. Competing models of the latent structure of the DASS were derived from theoretical and empirical sources and evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis. The convergent validity of the scale was examined by correlating it with the previously validated and frequently used Turkish version of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.

Results: The best fitting model of the latent structure of the DASS consisted of three correlated factors corresponding to the depression, anxiety, and stress scales. The reliability of the DASS was excellent and the measure possessed adequate convergent validity.

Conclusion: The Turkish version of the DASS-42 is a reliable and valid measure of the constructs it was intended to assess. This measure was found useful for evaluating depression, anxiety, and stress in non-clinical population. Further studies are needed to study the utility of this measure in psychiatric patients.