Negative emotionality in a large community sample of adolescents: the factor structure and measurement invariance of the short version of the depression anxiety stress scales (DASS‐21)

Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine five possible models of negative emotionality using the short version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) in a large sample of non‐clinical adolescents ( N = 677). The results from our confirmatory factor analysis reveal that negative emotionality in adolescents is best represented by the tripartite model. Our findings are in line with other studies regarding the structure of negative emotionality in adolescents and provide support for the validity of the tripartite model of negative emotionality underlying the DASS‐21 in adolescent boys and girls. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.