The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) is a well-established, self-administered instrument with 21 statements that help people define, understand, and measure clinically significant emotional states. It is a dimensional, rather than a categorical, measure of psychological disorder that can be used to diagnose depression and anxiety.
What Does the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) Measure?
The depression scale measures general dissatisfaction, hopelessness, devaluation of life, self-criticism, lack of interest, inability to feel pleasure, and emotional states resistant to change
- Anxiety scale measures autonomic arousal, muscle effects, situational anxiety, and subjective beliefs regarding anxious affect
- Stress scale measures an individual’s level of relaxation, nervousness, irritability, agitation, overreactivity, and impatience
Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21)
Scoring guidelines
- Each of the 21 items is rated on a four-point Likert scale ranging from 0 to 3:5
- Did not apply to me at all
- Applied to me to some degree or some of the time
- Appeared to be most or most prevalent
- The item scores on each scale are totaled and multiplied by 2 to obtain the three scale scores
- Normal 0-9, Mild 10-13, Moderate 14-20, Severe 21-27, Extremely severe 28+ 20+ 34+
Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) Validity and Reliability
Researchers assess the reliability and validity of their work to evaluate the quality of their research
- Validity refers to how well the results measure what they are intended to measure, meaning if findings are valid, they are statistically accurate, and the scales have high internal consistency and high discriminative, concurrent, and convergent validity
- It is straightforward to administer and has proven to be valid across numerous countries
