The Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scales-21: Principal component analysis and evaluation of abbreviated versions in young adults with temporomandibular disorders.

Background: The Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21) contain three subscales measuring depression, anxiety, and stress. Several abbreviated DASS-21 versions have been developed, demonstrating better clinical utility and measurement properties than the original instrument. This study explored the factor structure of various abbreviated DASS-21 versions and identified/validated the optimal one for assessing young adults with temporomandibular disorders (TMDs).

Methods: A total of 974 university-attending young adults were recruited in two waves (wave 1: 519; wave 2: 455). Demographic information, the DASS-21, and quintessence five TMD symptoms (5Ts) of the Diagnostic Criteria for TMDs were collected. Principal component analysis (PCA) was employed to condense the DASS-21 (wave 1 data), while confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to determine maximum likelihood estimates and compare different abbreviated DASS-21 versions (wave 2 data). Known-group, concurrent (criterion) validity and reliability were subsequently evaluated.

Results: The mean age of the study participants was 21 (SD = 0.1) years and 80.4% were women. Twelve DASS-21 items were identified from the PCA. However, the Korean DASS-12 provided the best-fit model (χ2/df = 2.07, CFI = 0.975, TLI = 0.960, RMSEA = 0.049, SRMR = 0.033) among the seven abbreviated versions in the CFA. The Korean DASS-12 showed good known-group and concurrent (rs = 0.959) validity and reliability when contrasted to the DASS-21.

Conclusion: The Korean DASS-12 possessed a good fit, known-group, as well as concurrent (criterion) validity and reliability, and was the best abbreviated DASS-21 version for screening young adults with TMD symptoms for psychological distress.