Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS) & DASS-Y 

Purpose

The DASS is a 21- or 42-item measure designed to assess the fundamental symptoms of depression, anxiety and tension/stress.

Basic Information

• Title/Author(s):
  Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-42 and DASS-21)
  Authors: S. H. Lovibond & P. F. Lovibond
  
  

• Edition and Year:
  1995, originally published by the Psychology Foundation of Australia.
  Updated versions and official hosting provided by the University of New South Wales (UNSW).
  
  

Assessment Details

• Identify TWO Types:
  
  

  • Standardized scoring
    
    

  • Self-report questionnaire
    
    

• Cost & Accessibility:
  
  

  • Cost:
    
    

    • Free for clinical, educational, and research use (manual purchase required for scoring guidelines).
      
      

    • Manual cost: $55 AUD (approximately $36 USD).
      
      

  • Access:
    
    

    • Official DASS Site: University of New South Wales DASS Portal
      
      

    • Assessment Info Page: Shirley Ryan AbilityLab DASS Page
      
      

• Population & Setting:
  
  

  • Population:
    
    

    • Adults (18–64 years) experiencing symptoms of depression, anxiety, or stress.
      
      

    • Validated for use with adolescents (especially the DASS-21).
      
      

    • DASS-Y (Youth version) is available for individuals aged 7–18 years to assess emotional distress in pediatric settings.
      
      

  • Settings:
    
    

    • Outpatient mental health clinics
      
      

    • Primary care offices
      
      

    • Inpatient psychiatric hospitals
      
      

    • Rehabilitation centers (post-stroke, post-TBI)
      
      

    • Group homes and transitional housing programs
      
      

    • Pediatric mental health programs (using DASS-Y)
      
      

    • Community-based wellness programs and telehealth settings
      
      

• Purpose & Areas Assessed:
  
  

  • Purpose:
    
    

    • To screen and measure the severity of emotional symptoms related to depression, anxiety, and stress.
      
      

    • It assists healthcare providers in identifying individuals who may benefit from further evaluation or intervention but is not a diagnostic tool.
      
      

  • Areas Assessed:
    
    

    • Depression: Dysphoria, hopelessness, lack of motivation, anhedonia
      
      

    • Anxiety: Physiological arousal, fearfulness, situational anxiety
      
      

    • Stress: Chronic tension, irritability, and difficulty relaxing
      
      

Administration & Scoring

• Administration:
  
  

  • Time Required:
    
    

    • DASS-21: ~5 minutes
      
      

    • DASS-42: ~10–15 minutes
      
      

  • Format:
    
    

    • Paper-and-pencil or electronic self-report questionnaire.
      
      

  • Response Scale:
    
    

    • 0 = Did not apply to me at all
      
      

    • 1 = Applied to me to some degree
      
      

    • 2 = Applied to me to a considerable degree
      
      

    • 3 = Applied to me very much or most of the time
      
      

• User Qualifications:
  
  

  • No specific training required to administer.
    
    

  • Results should be interpreted by a qualified healthcare professional (OTs, psychologists, social workers).
    
    

• Materials Required:
  
  

  • DASS-21 or DASS-42 questionnaire (available free online)
    
    

  • Manual (optional for detailed scoring interpretation)
    
    

• Scoring:
  
  

  • DASS-42:
    
    

    • Each subscale (Depression, Anxiety, Stress) scored out of 42.
      
      

  • DASS-21:
    
    

    • Each subscale scored out of 21, then multiplied by 2 to match DASS-42 scores.
      
      

  • Severity Ranges:
    
    

    • Normal, Mild, Moderate, Severe, Extremely Severe — based on cutoffs in manual.
      
      

    • Example (DASS-21 Depression Subscale):
      
      

      • Normal: 0–9
        
        

      • Mild: 10–13
        
        

      • Moderate: 14–20
        
        

      • Severe: 21–27
        
        

      • Extremely Severe: 28+
        
        

Psychometrics/Standardization

• Reliability:
  
  

  • High internal consistency:
    
    

    • Depression subscale (α = 0.91)
      
      

    • Anxiety subscale (α = 0.84)
      
      

    • Stress subscale (α = 0.90)
      
      

  • Strong test-retest reliability across diverse samples.
    
    

• Validity:
  
  

  • Strong construct validity with established mental health scales like the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI).
    
    

  • Valid across diverse clinical populations including chronic pain, stroke recovery, and psychiatric conditions.
    
    

• Norms:
  
  

  • Australian adult normative data available.
    
    

  • Widely used internationally with translations available in multiple languages.
    
    

Critical Thinking Sections

Strengths

• Free and accessible — Particularly useful in low-resource clinical and research settings.
  
  

• Flexible versions — Both full-length and short forms available (DASS-42, DASS-21, and DASS-Y for youth).
  
  

• Covers three important domains — Depression, anxiety, and stress evaluated separately for better clinical targeting.
  
  

• Strong psychometric properties — Reliable and valid across many diagnostic groups.
  
  

• Culturally adaptable — Available in many languages and culturally adapted versions.
  
  

Weaknesses

• Self-report bias — Results depend on individual insight and willingness to disclose emotional symptoms.
  
  

• Not diagnostic — Should not be used alone for clinical diagnosis; instead, it supports broader occupational or psychological evaluation and treatment planning.
  
  

• Manual costs money — Full scoring/interpretation guidelines are not entirely free.
  
  

• Limited depth — Does not explore coping strategies, interpersonal factors, or root causes of distress.
  
  

• Cultural sensitivity — Some items may require adjustment for use in different cultural or literacy backgrounds.
  
  

References 

Lovibond, S. H., & Lovibond, P. F. (1995). Manual for the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (2nd ed.). Psychology Foundation of Australia.

Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. (2013, December 11). Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS). Rehabilitation Measures Database. https://www.sralab.org/rehabilitation-measures/depression-anxiety-stress-scale

University of New South Wales. (n.d.). DASS: Psychology Foundation of Australia. Retrieved March 19, 2025, from https://www2.psy.unsw.edu.au/dass