Measuring Dysfunctional Attitudes in the General Population: The Dysfunctional Attitude Scale (form A) Revised

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Psychiatry
• Mental Health Assessment

Background:

• Dysfunctional attitudes are key in depression.
• Previous studies on the Dysfunctional Attitude Scale form A (DAS-A) yielded inconsistent factor structures.
• A robust psychometric evaluation of the DAS-A is needed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the fit of various factor models for the DAS-A.
• To establish a reliable and valid measurement of dysfunctional attitudes.
• To provide evidence for a specific factor structure of the DAS-A.

Main Methods:

• Confirmatory factor analysis was used on a large community sample (N = 8,960).
• Various proposed factor models of the DAS-A were tested.
• Reliability and convergent construct validity analyses were performed on the retained model.

Main Results:

• All tested models demonstrated good fit to the data.
• A 17-item, two-factor model of the DAS-A was retained.
• This model showed good reliability and convergent construct validity, with significant associations with depression.

Conclusions:

• A 17-item, two-factor DAS-A model, comprising 'dependency' and 'perfectionism/performance evaluation,' is recommended.
• This validated DAS-A provides a reliable tool for measuring dysfunctional beliefs.
• Norm-scores are provided, enhancing its clinical utility in assessing depression.