Network analysis applied to DASS-21: Emergence of a new dimension

Abstract

The DASS-21 has been studied in different samples and cultures as a brief tool for screening and referral to specialized interventions, thus presenting the prerogative to be characterized as a complex system (CS). CS is a new approach to data analysis assumes that items on a scale are components integrated as a network. Despite this, to date network analysis has not been applied to verify the psychometric properties of the DASS-21. This was a non-clinical sample consisting of college students and professionals (N = 4017), aged 18 years or older (M = 31.16; SD = 10.308), from different Brazilian regions. The data collection was done through electronic forms composed by a sociodemographic questionnaire and DASS-21. Participants could forward the form to other potential respondents. Uni, bi, and multivariate analyses were used, and, among them, exploratory graph analysis (EGA) and boostrap EGA (BootEGA). EGA e BootEGA generated a model with four factors. The four-factor model from DASS-21 showed better fit rates compared to the others replicated in this research. The new four factor model has excellent composite reliability and is invariant regard to gender and type of activity performed. This research was composed of a non-probabilistic and convenience sample, without equitable geographical distribution of the participants and whose answers to this study were provided only by the web-based forms. The DASS-21 presented a new factor model composed of four distinct dimensions with excellent intrinsic features.