The German Depression Anxiety Stress Scales for Youth (DASS-Y): Structure, Convergent Validity, and Measurement Invariance by Gender, Age, and Language (German-English)

Depression, anxiety, and stress rank among the most prevalent mental health issues in childhood and adolescence, and are detrimentally associated with health, education, and well-being. In this context, the reliable assessment of internalizing symptoms in childhood and adolescence is critical for early detection and prevention, yet psychometrically validated instruments tailored to developmental stages remain scarce. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scales for Youth (DASS-Y) were recently developed and validated in English, Chinese, Serbian, and Persian to provide a developmentally appropriate assessment tool. Importantly, a German version is yet to be developed and validated, which is the main goal of this study. The school-based sample comprised 1,893 Swiss children and adolescents aged 7–14 years. Confirmatory factor analysis, exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM), and bifactor-ESEM were conducted to examine factorial validity, measurement invariance across gender, age, and country, and convergent and predictive validity. All scales showed excellent internal consistency (α/ω ≥ .87). The hypothesized three-factor structure was supported and yielded acceptable model fit. The B-ESEM yielded the best representation, revealing a robust general distress factor alongside specific depression and stress dimensions, whereas anxiety contributed little unique variance. Scalar invariance was established across gender, age, and between Switzerland and an Australian sample. The general factor was consistently related to all well-being factors investigated. Depression uniquely predicted positive emotions, emotional stability, loneliness and self-esteem. Stress was detrimentally associated with resilience, loneliness, positive emotions, and emotional stability; and anxiety with self-esteem. These findings demonstrate that the DASS-YG is a psychometrically sound and developmentally appropriate tool for German-speaking youth.