Diagnostic Accuracy of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale for Youth (DASS-Y) Indonesian Version for Screening Internalizing Disorders Among Adolescents.

BACKGROUND

As adolescent mental health issues are increasingly recognized as a public health concern, evaluating the accuracy of the DASS-Y is important for early detection and intervention. This study evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of the Indonesian version of the DASS-Y in screening internalizing disorders among adolescents aged 10-18 years.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional observational study across eight schools in Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia, from July to December 2025. A total of 274 adolescents were included. Diagnostic accuracy of the DASS-Y for screening internalizing disorders, such as major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), was evaluated against psychiatric clinical assessment based on the DSM-5 as the gold standard. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to determine the optimal cutoff score. Diagnostic performance was assessed using sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, likelihood ratios, and area under the curve (AUC).

RESULTS

Among 274 adolescents aged 10-18 years, a DASS-Y total score cutoff of ≥24 showed good sensitivity (0.83) and specificity (0.85), with excellent overall diagnostic accuracy (AUC = 0.93), indicating strong ability to discriminate between adolescents with and without internalizing disorders.

CONCLUSION

The Indonesian version of the DASS-Y demonstrated excellent diagnostic accuracy for screening internalizing disorders among adolescents. The DASS-Y may be considered as a potential screening tool for adolescents aged 10-18 years in Indonesia. Further studies are needed to evaluate its implementation in routine practice.