Adaptation and Validation of the 8-Item Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-8) in Peruvian School Adolescents

Depression, anxiety, and stress are common disorders among school adolescents, affecting their emotional well-being and academic performance. In Peru, there is a lack of brief, validated instruments to detect these symptoms in educational settings, which limits timely intervention.

To adapt and validate the Spanish version of the 8-item Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-8) in Peruvian school adolescents.

A total of 801 Peruvian adolescents between 11 and 18 years of age (M = 14.04; SD = 1.54) participated. An instrumental design was used, including translation and cultural adaptation of the DASS-8. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), reliability estimates (α and ω), and factorial invariance testing by sex, stage of adolescence, type of institution, and place of residence were conducted.

The model showed excellent fit (χ² = chi-square)(17) = 48.000, Comparative Fit Index (CFI) = 0.99, Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI) = 0.98, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) = 0.05, and Standardized Root Mean Square Residual (SRMR) = 0.01. The subscales demonstrated high reliability: Depression (α = 0.90; ω = 0.90), Anxiety (α = 0.90; ω = 0.90), and Stress (α = 0.87; ω = 0.87), with an overall α of 0.95. Strict invariance was supported by gender and type of institution, and scalar invariance was supported across stages of adolescence and place of residence.

The Spanish DASS-8 is a valid, reliable, and useful tool for screening emotional symptoms in Peruvian school adolescents. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate the psychometric properties of the DASS-8 in Latin American school adolescents.