Psychometric analyses of the Italian 8-item, 9-item, and 12-item versions of the depression, stress and anxiety scale

Soraci, P, Griffiths, MD ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8880-6524, Del Fante, E, Pisanti, R, Marafioti, G, Servidio, R, Chini, E and Szabo, A, 2025. Psychometric analyses of the Italian 8-item, 9-item, and 12-item versions of the depression, stress and anxiety scale. Evaluation and the Health Professions. ISSN 0163-2787

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Abstract

The present study aimed to validate the Italian 8-item, 9-item, and 12-item versions of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), addressing the need for shorter yet psychometrically robust measures. Two studies were conducted with different samples. In Study 1 (n = 541), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and reliability testing of the short-form versions of the DASS were performed, and their convergent validity with life satisfaction and mental well-being was examined. Study 2 (n = 321) extended this validation by reassessing factor structure, reliability, and convergent validity using constructs associated with psychological distress, including positive and negative affect, self-esteem, and perceived stress. Results demonstrated that all short-form versions retained the three-factor structure of the original DASS-21, with overall sufficient fit indices, especially the 9-item model. Reliability metrics confirmed internal consistency (all Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega ≥0.70). Convergent validity analyses indicated strong correlations between the short-form versions of DASS-21 (min = 0.675, max = 0.956) and associated psychological constructs, aligning with theoretical expectations. The scales captured the relationships between psychological distress, positive and negative affect, perceived stress, mental well-being, self-esteem, and life satisfaction. Findings suggest that the Italian versions of the DASS-8, DASS-9, and DASS-12 provide feasible and reliable alternatives to the DASS-21 for assessing depression, anxiety, and stress, supporting their usefulness in clinical and research contexts, particularly in circumstances in which brevity is essential.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Evaluation and the Health Professions
Creators:	Soraci, P., Griffiths, M.D., Del Fante, E., Pisanti, R., Marafioti, G., Servidio, R., Chini, E. and Szabo, A.
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Date:	20 September 2025
ISSN:	0163-2787
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1177/01632787251380550 DOI 2502294 Other
Rights:	© The Author(s) 2025. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).
Divisions:	Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	Laura Borcherds
Date Added:	23 Sep 2025 13:08
Last Modified:	23 Sep 2025 13:08
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/54405

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