Screening Negative Affectivity in Young Adults: Validation and Psychometric Evaluation of the French Version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales

The screening of emotional status in nonclinical samples is useful for clarifying the factorial structure of the negative affectivity construct. Several studies using the original version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-42) have suggested that its bifactor model predicts that negative emotions encompass a general dimension and distinctive patterns of symptoms. The aims of the present investigation were to enlarge the understanding of the negative affectivity construct by examining the factorial structure and psychometric properties of the French version of DASS-42 using a large sample of young adults. French-speaking participants (N = 1,143) completed the French version of the DASS-42. The confirmatory factor analyses revealed that items shared common higher variance with one general factor and less variance with three specific orthogonal factors. The DASS-42 Depression, Anxiety, and Stress scales reached good reliability and appeared to be better than the scales used to assess convergent validity. All statistics suggested an improved accounting of the data in the bifactor model compared with that of the 3-factor model. Similarly to the original version, the loadings of French items on stress factor showed inconsistencies. Although the 3-factor model of DASS-42 is suitable and recommended for clinical investigations, the bifactor conceptualisation depicts the common and specific symptoms measured with the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress subscales. The psychometrics of the French version of the DASS-42 support the bifactor conceptualisation of negative emotions which emphasizes the versatile dimension of stress.