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Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) - Short Form: Adaptation and Validation for Brazilian Adolescents

Abstract

This study aimed to adapt and validate the short form of the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) for Brazilian adolescents. The participants were 426 adolescents aged 12 to 18 years (M = 14.91, SD = 1.66), 264 girls (62%) and 162 boys (39%), of public schools in the city of Porto Alegre-RS, who answered an adapted version named Escala de Depressão, Ansiedade e Estresse para Adolescentes (EDAE-A). The subscales showed suitable levels of internal consistency, ranging between 0.83 and 0.90. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the best model was the three factors confirming the original model with depression, anxiety and stress dimensions. In the total score and factors, there were differences by sex, with highest average to girls in all scores. We concluded that the EDAE-A presents favorable psychometric qualities, being a simple and suitable survey instrument for identifying symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress in Brazilian adolescents.

Keywords:
adolescent; depression; anxiety; stress; DASS-21; EDAE-A

Universidade de São Francisco, Programa de Pós-Graduação Stricto Sensu em Psicologia R. Waldemar César da Silveira, 105, Vl. Cura D'Ars (SWIFT), Campinas - São Paulo, CEP 13045-510, Telefone: (19)3779-3771 - Campinas - SP - Brazil
E-mail: revistapsico@usf.edu.br