Spanish adaptation of the Dimensional Anhedonia Rating Scale (DARS)

Abstract

BackgroundAnhedonia is defined as the lack of enjoyment, engagement in, or energy for life's experiences. Only two scales to measure anhedonia have been adapted for use in Spanish-speaking populations. The aim of this study was to determine the reliability and validity of the Dimensional Anhedonia Rating Scale (DARS) following translation and adaptation for Spanish population. MethodThe study sample included 134 patients over 18 years of age with a range of psychiatric diagnoses. Those with substance use, decompensated medical conditions, illiteracy, or lack of fluency in Spanish were excluded. The structure of the Spanish adaptation was evaluated through factor analysis. Internal reliability was assessed through Cronbach's alpha and validity was measured using Pearson's correlation between total scores for DARS and its subscales and SHAPS score. ResultsA strong internal consistency was observed (Cronbach alpha = 0.92 for total scale score and 0.91–0.92 for subscale scores). Similarly, a significant and strong correlation between total scores for DARS and SHAPS was found (r = 0.51, p < 0.01). LimitationsThe heterogeneous distribution of diagnoses included in the study may limit our results. ConclusionsThe Spanish DARS maintains the psychometric properties of the original questionnaire, with strong internal consistency and adequate validity. DARS is a specific questionnaire for evaluating anhedonia, incorporating elements that reflect motivation, interest, and effort, and one which offers possible advantages over other anhedonia scales.