VALIDATION OF THE KAZAKH VERSION OF THE DEPRESSION ANXIETY STRESS SCALE (DASS-21) IN MEDICAL FACULTY STAFF SAMPLE: THE PILOT STUDY

Abstract

Background. According to the IHME data, 1 in 10 people in Kazakhstan suffer from mental disorders, predominantly
depression and anxiety. Numerous studies of academic medicine have shown that faculty experience higher rates of
psychological distress compared with the general population.
Aim. To assess the psychometric reliability of the DASS-21 and its applicability in Kazakh academic faculty sample.
Materials and methods. The study was conducted in May 2021 at Semey Medical University. The DASS-21 was
selected for the current validation study. The validation procedure was performed in accordance with the WHO guidelines on
translation and adaptation of instruments and committed in 3 phases, which included forward translation, discussion, and
back translation. The Kazakh version of the DASS-21 was applied to the pilot group of 30 volunteers.
Results. The vast majority of the responders were females (73.33%). The mean age was 38.17. Overall Cronbach’s
alpha for the DASS-21 obtained 0.898. Cronbach’s alphas for the subscales of depression, anxiety, and stress were 0.743,
0.847, and 0.747, respectively. Test-retest reliability as measured in ICC was 0.712 for depression, 0.761 for anxiety, and
0.715 for stress subscales.
Conclusions. Our study supports the psychometric properties of the DASS-21 and recommends it as a suitable tool for
screening general symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress.