DASS-21 Depression Anxiety Stress Scales

About this resource

The DASS-21 is the short form of the 42-item Depression Anxiety Stress Scales developed by Lovibond and Lovibond at the University of New South Wales. It contains three seven-item subscales. Depression covers low mood, hopelessness, devaluation of life, self-deprecation, lack of interest and inertia. Anxiety covers autonomic arousal, physical symptoms, situational anxiety and the subjective experience of fear. Stress covers difficulty relaxing, nervous arousal, and being easily upset, irritable or impatient. Each item is rated 0 to 3 for how much it applied over the past week.

The DASS was built on a dimensional rather than a categorical view of emotional disorder. It does not attempt to map onto diagnostic categories; instead it measures the severity of the three states along continua, and the severity labels describe where a score falls relative to the general population. The three-factor structure has been replicated in clinical and community samples, and the short form correlates highly with the full version. It is widely used as a routine outcome measure in psychology services, particularly in Australia, the United Kingdom and Canada.

The professional version adds the subscale item key, the scoring table with severity bands, notes on interpreting the profile of the three scores, and the limitations of the measure.

The instrument is reproduced here because the DASS is in the public domain. The authors permit its reproduction and use without permission, and the scales, manual and translations are available from the DASS website at the University of New South Wales.

How to use it

1. Administer at assessment and at regular intervals through treatment. The past-week time frame makes it sensitive to change and suitable for fortnightly or session-by-session use.
2. Score each subscale by summing its seven items and multiplying the sum by 2, so that scores are comparable with the full 42-item DASS. Each subscale ranges from 0 to 42.
3. Use the severity table to describe each subscale score. Note that the bands differ between the three scales.
4. Look at the profile, not just the three numbers. A high stress score with low depression and anxiety scores suggests a different presentation, and a different focus for treatment, from a high depression score with the others low.
5. The DASS-21 does not ask about suicidal thoughts. Ask directly, particularly when the depression subscale is in the severe range or when the item about life being meaningless is endorsed.

References

• Lovibond, S. H., & Lovibond, P. F. (1995). Manual for the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (2nd ed.). Psychology Foundation of Australia.
• Antony, M. M., Bieling, P. J., Cox, B. J., Enns, M. W., & Swinson, R. P. (1998). Psychometric properties of the 42-item and 21-item versions of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales in clinical groups and a community sample. Psychological Assessment, 10(2), 176-181.
• Henry, J. D., & Crawford, J. R. (2005). The short-form version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21): Construct validity and normative data in a large non-clinical sample. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 44(2), 227-239.