Background: The recently developed Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales–Youth Version (DASS-Y) shows promise as a tool for assessing youth mental health, but its consistency across timepoints and diverse ages remains underexplored. The present study evaluated whether the DASS-Y reliably measured depression, anxiety, and stress among school-aged youth (aged 9–18 years) across distinct time periods and educational stages. Methods: Two studies were conducted. Study 1 examined consistency over three months using data from 736 Central Chinese high school students who completed surveys at both timepoints. Study 2 tested consistency across educational levels among 2321 primary and 1676 middle school students. Traditional confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM), and Rasch analysis were employed to assess the scale’s construct validity and measurement invariance. Results: Rasch analysis indicated acceptable DASS-Y item fit (infit/outfit statistics = 0.50–1.50) and moderate test-retest reliability (ICCs = 0.64–0.69). The ESEM approach demonstrated superior model fit compared to CFA, achieving a good RMSEA (0.056–0.062) and lower latent factor correlations (r = 0.40–0.60), supporting longitudinal scalar invariance. Across educational levels, measurement invariance was supported, with only a small number of items exhibiting differential item functioning (DIF). Conclusion: The present study demonstrates that the DASS-Y is a reliable tool for assessing emotional health among non-clinical school-aged youth, offering educators a validated measure to monitor psychological well-being across developmental stages and time, thereby informing strategies to support youth mental health in community and educational settings. Future research among clinical populations is needed to extend its utility for diagnostic purposes.
Wang et al. (Thu,) studied this question.