Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) in the Korean working population

BACKGROUND: In this study, we developed a new Korean translation for the shortened version of the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) and examined its psychometric properties in a Korean working population. OBJECTIVE: To develop a new Korean version of the DASS-21 and test its psychometric properties specific to the Korean working population. METHODS: The DASS-21 was translated to the Korean language in accordance with scientific guidelines for cross-cultural adaptation. A total of 228 general workers from Korea then completed the newly translated version of the DAS S-21 and its psychometric properties were evaluated. RESULTS: Most of the questionnaire items were correctly loaded on the proposed scales of the original questionnaire. Excellent internal consistency and measurement consistency over a one week interval were obtained for all scales (Cronbach's alpha; 0.87, 83, and 83, and ICC (2, 1); 0.84, 0.94, and 0.89 for depression, anxiety and stress scales, respectively). All three scales were negatively associated with the level of life satisfaction (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The new Korean version of DASS-21 has shown excellent validity and reliability of measurement in the Korean working population. Organizations investigating the prominent health issue of affective disorders in Korean workers can use this instrument with confidence.