Does the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales–Youth version (DASS-Y) remain consistent across time and diverse school-aged youth?

Wang, X, Cao, C-H, Liao, X-L, Jiang, X-Y, Griffiths, MD ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8880-6524, Chen, I-H and Lin, C-Y, 2026. Does the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales–Youth version (DASS-Y) remain consistent across time and diverse school-aged youth? International Journal of Mental Health Promotion. ISSN 1462-3730

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Abstract

Background: The recently developed Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales–Youth Version (DASS-Y) shows promise as a tool for assessing youth mental health, but its consistency across timepoints and diverse ages remains underexplored. The present study evaluated whether the DASS-Y reliably measured depression, anxiety, and stress among school-aged youth (aged 9–18 years) across distinct time periods and educational stages.

Methods: Two studies were conducted. Study 1 examined consistency over three months using data from 736 Central Chinese high school students who completed surveys at both timepoints. Study 2 tested consistency across educational levels among 2321 primary and 1676 middle school students. Traditional confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM), and Rasch analysis were employed to assess the scale’s construct validity and measurement invariance.

Results: Rasch analysis indicated acceptable DASS-Y item fit (infit/outfit statistics = 0.50–1.50) and moderate test-retest reliability (ICCs = 0.64–0.69). The ESEM approach demonstrated superior model fit compared to CFA, achieving a good RMSEA (0.056–0.062) and lower latent factor correlations (r = 0.40–0.60), supporting longitudinal scalar invariance. Across educational levels, measurement invariance was supported, with only a small number of items exhibiting differential item functioning (DIF).

Conclusion: The present study demonstrates that the DASS-Y is a reliable tool for assessing emotional health among non-clinical school-aged youth, offering educators a validated measure to monitor psychological well-being across developmental stages and time, thereby informing strategies to support youth mental health in community and educational settings. Future research among clinical populations is needed to extend its utility for diagnostic purposes.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	International Journal of Mental Health Promotion
Creators:	Wang, X., Cao, C.-H., Liao, X.-L., Jiang, X.-Y., Griffiths, M.D., Chen, I.-H. and Lin, C.-Y.
Publisher:	Tech Science Press
Date:	9 March 2026
ISSN:	1462-3730
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.32604/ijmhp.2026.075149 DOI 2588685 Other
Rights:	Copyright © 2026 The Authors. Published by Tech Science Press. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Divisions:	Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	Laura Borcherds
Date Added:	13 Mar 2026 13:48
Last Modified:	13 Mar 2026 13:48
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/55410

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