Scale-Description

The Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-42) is a self-report questionnaire designed to measure levels of depression, anxiety, and stress in adults. The questionnaire consists of 42 questions, divided into three subscales:

Depression

Anxiety

Stress

Each subscale includes 14 questions that assess dimensions related to the corresponding emotion or condition. Responses are given on a 4-point Likert scale, where 0 means “Does not apply to me at all” and 3 means “Applies to me very much.”

Analysis and Use of Data

Data from the DASS-42 can be used to detect and assess the severity of symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress across various population samples. The results can be analyzed as follows:

Depression Subscale: Assesses hopelessness, lack of motivation, and feelings of inadequacy.

Anxiety Subscale: Assesses physical symptoms of anxiety, such as palpitations and tension.

Stress Subscale: Assesses tension, irritability, and excessive worry.

Clinicians can use these data to create a patient profile and design interventions or therapeutic approaches.

Purpose

The primary objective of the DASS-42 is to provide a tool for assessing mental health, specifically in the three aforementioned dimensions: depression, anxiety, and stress. The tool is widely used in clinical and research settings for diagnosing or monitoring the severity of psychological symptoms.

Scoring

Scoring for the DASS-42 is based on the total score obtained from the respondents’ answers. The scores can be categorized into different levels of severity:

0-9 for Depression: Normal

10-13 for Depression: Mild

14-20 for Depression: Moderate

21-27 for Depression: Severe

28+ for Depression: Extremely severe

Similar categorization exists for the anxiety and stress subscales, allowing professionals to identify the intensity of symptoms in each dimension.

Bibliography

Lovibond, S. H., & Lovibond, P. F. (1995). Manual for the Depression Anxiety & Stress Scales (2nd Ed.). Sydney: Psychology Foundation.

Antony, M. M., Bieling, P. J., Cox, B. J., Enns, M. W., & Swinson, R. P. (1998). Psychometric properties of the 42-item and 21-item versions of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales in clinical groups and a community sample. Psychological Assessment, 10(2), 176–181.

Henry, J. D., & Crawford, J. R. (2005). The short-form version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21): Construct validity and normative data in a large non-clinical sample. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 44(2), 227–239.