Self-report Instruments for Anxiety, Depression, and Stress in Adolescents: A Scoping Review of Psychometric Properties and Cultural Applicability.

PURPOSE OF THE REVIEW: This scoping review mapped self-report instruments assessing anxiety, depression, and stress among adolescents, focusing on their psychometric properties and cultural applicability in the Indian context. It was anticipated that most instruments would be developed and validated in Western settings, with limited validation in Indian adolescent samples; that multidimensional tools covering all three constructs would be fewer than single-construct measures, and that cultural and linguistic adaptation for Indian adolescents would be insufficient.

METHODS

Following Arksey and O'Malley's framework and PRISMA extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines, a systematic search was conducted across PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Google Scholar on July 28, 2024, to identify studies reporting psychometric evaluations of self-report instruments measuring these constructs in adolescents aged 10-19 years, published in English in peer-reviewed journals.

RESULTS

Of 2,812 records identified, 15 instruments were retained after deduplication and screening, and most showed acceptable internal consistency and structural validity per COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN)-informed criteria. Most instruments originated in Western populations; validation in Indian samples remained limited, and none combined all three constructs into a single measure.

CONCLUSIONS

Existing instruments offer a useful starting point for assessing adolescent anxiety, depression, and stress, but their fit for the Indian context is uneven, with gaps in test-retest evidence, adolescent-specific norms, and cultural adaptation. Progress would benefit from co-development with Indian adolescents, bilingual validation, and evidence gathered mainly from school and clinical settings.