Psychological Morbidity among University Students in Hong Kong (2014-2018): Psychometric Properties of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) and Related Correlates.

Xiang Li,Esther Y W Shek,Daniel T L Shek

doi:10.3390/ijerph18168305

Abstract

Although mental health problems among Hong Kong university students are serious, there is a lack of studies examining the psychometric properties of related assessment scales and correlates. This study attempted to validate the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) in Hong Kong university students and examine the demographic (gender), time (cohort), and well-being correlates (positive youth development attributes and life satisfaction) of psychological morbidity. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to examine the factor structure of the DASS (n = 6704). Gender and cohort invariance were further established using a multigroup CFA. The three-factor model of the DASS showed a superior fit and factorial invariance across gender and five different cohorts. Regarding gender and cohort correlates of psychological morbidity, males exhibited more depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms than their female counterparts. The intensity of psychological distress also escalated after the Umbrella Movement in 2014. Furthermore, well-being measures (positive youth development and life satisfaction) were negatively associated with depression, anxiety, and stress. In short, the Chinese DASS demonstrated good psychometric properties. This study also showed that gender, cohort (occurrence of political events), and well-being were associated with psychological morbidity indexed by the DASS measures.

Highlights

The findings suggest that the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS)-21 will not be affected by gender in a non-clinical setting, and gender differences are due to a true difference in the construct of psychological distress rather than different psychometric responses to the scale items [57]
We found no significant changes in psychological morbidity between the 2015/16 and 2018/19 academic years, the depression, anxiety, and stress of university students increased year by year, and psychological morbidity reported by students in 2018 was significantly higher than that reported in 2014
This study showed that the severity of students depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms deserves attention

Summary

Introduction

Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Adolescent mental health problems are a growing concern [1]. Depression, anxiety, and stress are important indicators of common mental health problems [2,3]. An upward trend of psychological distress has been reported, with an increasing number of young people suffering from mental health problems all around the world [4,5,6,7]

Results

Discussion

Conclusion