PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF THE TURKISH VERSION OF THE 42 ITEM DEPRESSION ANXIETY STRESS SCALE (DASS-42) IN A CLINICAL SAMPLE

Objective: To study the psychometric properties of the Turkish translation of the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-42) in a clinical group. Methods: Outpatients diagnosed with anxiety (n = 138; mean age = 44.5 years; 74.6% female) or depression (n = 112; mean age = 46.2 years; 77.7% female) from the psychiatric outpatient clinic of a public hospital were evaluated. A group of non-clinical volunteers (n = 250; mean age = 37 years; 68% female) served as a community group for comparison. The participants completed the Turkish versions of the DASS-42, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Results: The structure of the DASS-42 was analyzed in the clinical sample using principal components extraction. The three-factor solution accounted for 56% of the total variance, with eigenvalues of 17.6, 3.0, and 2.6. The range of factor loadings was 0.55-0.85 for depression, 0.47-0.62 for anxiety, and 0.49-0.74 for stress. The Cronbach alpha values for the DASS depression, anxiety, and stress subscales were 0.94, 0.88, 0.94 respectively. The concurrent validity of the DASS was satisfactory. The non-clincal participants scored lower on all three subscales than the individuals in all of the clinical groups. Conclusion: The Turkish version of the DASS-42 appears to be an excellent instrument for measuring features of depression, hyperarousal, and tension in clinical groups. (Int'l. J. Psychiatry in Medicine 2012;44:183-198)