Psychometric evaluation of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) in peruvian university students.

OBJECTIVES.: To evaluate the psychometric characteristics of the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) in university students from Lima, Peru.

MATERIALS AND METHODS.: An instrumental study was conducted with 1163 students from a public university, in which the validity and reliability of the DASS-21 were evaluated in accordance with international standards.

RESULTS.: A confirmatory factor analysis was performed with a first three-factor model (χ²=706.5; df=186; CFI=0.986; TLI=0.985; RMSEA=0.049; SRMR=0.057) and a second-order model (χ²=706.5; df=186; CFI=0.986; TLI=0.985; RMSEA=0.049; SRMR=0.057), both of which reported expected fit measures. Furthermore, associations with other measures were established, such as positive mental health (r > -0.49), with results showing inverse and statistically significant moderate correlations. Metric invariance measures based on sex were also calculated. The reliability coefficients-omega, ordinal alpha, and Guttman-reached values greater than 0.90 as expected.

CONCLUSIONS.: The DASS-21 showed evidence of validity based on internal structure, concurrent and discriminant criterion validity, and reliability through internal consistency. It was also invariant across men and women.