Assessment
Depression Anxiety Stress Scales, 21-item version (DASS-21)
Twenty-one statements measuring depression, anxiety and stress over the past week, with a three-subscale structure. Widely used in research and clinical assessment.
Public domain, but the authors ask that it not be administered on public websites or apps (DASS FAQ Q21).
Public domain: "The DASS questionnaire is public domain, and so permission is not needed to use it." (DASS FAQ, UNSW).
It is deliberately not offered as a self-check on PsychologyOrbit. The authors' FAQ says the DASS should not be administered on a website or app open to the public, that results should go to a clinician or researcher, and that interpretation needs appropriate training. Severity labels are published only in the DASS manual.
Translations, including Urdu, Pashto, Punjabi and Bangla, are listed on the DASS Translations page.
Primary reference
Lovibond, S. H., & Lovibond, P. F. (1995). Manual for the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (2nd ed.). Psychology Foundation.
At a glance
| Measures | Depression, anxiety and stress |
|---|---|
| Population | Adults |
| Format | Self report |
| Items | 21 |
| Time | about 5 minutes |
| Languages | English; translations in more than 60 languages including Urdu, Pashto, Punjabi, Bangla, Hindi and Arabic |
| Publisher | University of New South Wales (Lovibond & Lovibond) |
This link goes to the publisher or author, not to a copy hosted here.