How many items does the DASS-21 have?
21 items in three seven-item subscales: depression, anxiety and stress. Each item scores 0 to 3 and each subscale is scored separately.
مقیاس افسردگی، اضطراب و استرس لاویباند (DASS-21) با ۲۱ سؤال دربارهی یک هفتهی گذشته؛ نمرهی سه زیرمقیاس (۰ تا ۴۲، با ضریب ۲) و سطح شدت هر کدام خودکار برای پژوهشگر حساب میشود و در خروجی اکسل و SPSS ستون جدا دارد.
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“پرسشنامه افسردگی، اضطراب و استرس (DASS-21)” has 21 questions; every question is required. Question types: Single choice (21). 84 ready-made options across 21 choice questions, all editable in the online version.
Three negative emotional states over the past week: depression (hopelessness, worthlessness, lack of interest and anhedonia), anxiety (physical arousal, situational fear and panic) and stress (tension, agitation, irritability and difficulty relaxing). It is the 21-item short form of the DASS-42; each subscale has seven items.
The DASS-21 measures symptom severity and is not a diagnostic tool. This questionnaire is a screening tool, not a diagnosis; only a qualified mental-health professional can diagnose. If you feel severe distress or have thoughts of harming yourself, call Iran's social emergency line 123 or the counselling line 1480 now, or go to the nearest medical centre.
| Score | Level | Suggested action |
|---|---|---|
| Depression: 0–9 | Normal | — |
| Depression: 10–13 | Mild | — |
| Depression: 14–20 | Moderate | — |
| Depression: 21–27 | Severe | — |
| Depression: 28+ | Extremely severe | — |
| Anxiety: 0–7 | Normal | — |
| Anxiety: 8–9 | Mild | — |
| Anxiety: 10–14 | Moderate | — |
| Anxiety: 15–19 | Severe | — |
| Anxiety: 20+ | Extremely severe | — |
| Stress: 0–14 | Normal | — |
| Stress: 15–18 | Mild | — |
| Stress: 19–25 | Moderate | — |
| Stress: 26–33 | Severe | — |
| Stress: 34+ | Extremely severe | — |
The severity table comes from the DASS manual (Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995) and applies to the doubled DASS-21 scores. According to the developers the labels are arbitrary and describe where a score sits in the whole population: "mild" means above the population mean but still well below the typical severity of people seeking help, not a mild disorder. Scores are dimensional and the DASS is not a diagnostic tool.
Original instrument: Sydney Lovibond and Peter Lovibond, 1995
The DASS is in the public domain: no permission is needed to use it and the questionnaires and scoring key may be copied without restriction, but the scales themselves may not be sold. Translation is also free on condition that the translation stays in the public domain; this template's Persian translation is in the public domain too. The developers ask that the DASS be administered only to a defined group (for example research participants or a clinician's clients), not to the general public, and that computed scores and automated interpretation not be shown to respondents, because this can be misleading and even dangerous. This template stores the scores and levels for the form owner only, and its ending screen shows no score.
Translated by Porsino; for formal research, cite a validated (normed) Persian version.
21 items in three seven-item subscales: depression, anxiety and stress. Each item scores 0 to 3 and each subscale is scored separately.
The manual's severity table is for the 42-item version; each DASS-21 subscale sum is doubled so it can be read against the same table. This template does the doubling automatically.
The DASS developers ask that computed scores and automated interpretation not be given to respondents and that results go to the researcher or clinician. This template stores the score and level of all three subscales for you in the responses and the Excel and SPSS exports, and the ending screen shows only an educational message and help lines.
No. It measures symptom severity, and the labels from mild to extremely severe only show where a score sits relative to the general population; only a clinical assessment by a professional can diagnose.