Análisis psicométrico de versiones breves de la Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS-21) en adultos mexicanos bajo un enfoque ESEM

Psychometric analysis of brief versions of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS-21) in Mexican adults under an ESEM approach

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to analyze the internal structure of different versions of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales - 21 (21, 14, 12, 9 and 8 items), to determine the degree of measurement invariance according to sex, and to estimate the reliability of the scores and the construct in Mexican adults. The sample consisted of 509 adults (61.1% male and 38.9% female) between the ages of 18 and 40 (mean age = 23.58; SD age = 5.33). Analyses were conducted using exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) and bifactor ESEM, and measurement invariance using multigroup factor analysis. The results indicated that the DASS-12 is the version that presents the best factorial parameters and evaluates a single factor called general distress, in addition to showing an acceptable degree of measurement invariance between men and women. It is concluded that the DASS-12 has a robust internal structure and adequate reliability. It is suggested as a line of future research to examine the scale in different groups (e.g., adolescents) and to conduct other analyses that allow the DASS-12 to be used as a measure of intervention effectiveness (e.g., longitudinal invariance).