Evidence as to the applicability of the DASS subscale scores to represent the distinct states of depression, anxiety, and stress as experienced by adolescents is mixed, and the age at which it may be

The gap

Consensus across the literature

Supporting evidence — 4 representative gaps

• Preliminary Psychometric Validation of the Greek Version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales for Youth (DASS-Y) (2026) · doi

  Several limitations should be considered when interpreting the findings of this study. First, participants were recruited exclusively from schools located in the Athens metropoli- tan area. Although multiple schools were included, the geographic concentration of the sample may limit general- izability to adolescents from rural regions or other socio- cultural contexts within Greece. Future research should replicate these findings using larger and geographically 1 3Child Psychiatry & Human Developmentdiverse adolescent samples across different regions of the country. Second, the cross-sectional design precludes conclusions regarding temporal stability of the instrument. Longitudinal studies and test–retest reliability assessments are necessary to determine the stability of DASS-Y scores over time. Third, measurement invariance across gender, age groups, or other demographic characteristics was not exam- ined in the present study. Because adolescence is charac- terized by important developmental and gender-related differences in emotional. symptom expression, future studies should further exam- ine whether the Greek DASS- Y functions equivalently across demographic subgroups.Such analyses represent an important next step for establishing whether the scale func- tions equivalently across different subgroups of adolescents. Fourth, although strong correlations among the three DASS-Y dimensions were observed, alternative structural representations, such as bifactor models distinguishing gen- eral emotional distress from specific symptom factors, were not tested. Future studies may further clarify the dimen- sional structure of adolescent emotional symptoms by com- paring these alternative models. Finally, the absence of clinical samples limits conclusions regarding diagnostic sensitivity or clinical cutoff interpreta- tion. Accordingly, the present findings should be interpreted primarily within the context of community-based screening and preliminary psychometric validation rather than formal clinical assessment. The severity classifications used in the present study should therefore be considered provisional until normative data for Greek adolescent populations become available.

  Keywords: across future adolescent dass present emotional clinical considered schools adolescents regions within samples different conclusions
• Development and Validation of the Ultra-Short Version of the Identity Style Inventory (US-ISI-5) Among Czech Adolescents (2026) · doi

  While this study has several strengths, including a large, representative sample of Czech adolescents and its comprehensive validation of a newly developed ul- tra-short 9-item version of the ISI (US-ISI-5), several limitations should be ac- knowledged. First, the analysis is based on cross-sectional data; therefore, it is not possible to determine test–retest reliability, which can be used to evaluate the stability of identity processing strategies over time. This is of particular sig- nificance, given that adolescents are undergoing rapid developmental, attitudi- nal, and emotional changes. Second, this is a typical validation study conducted in one country on a  specific target group, namely, Czech adolescents, without a control group, which restricts the generalizability of the results. Third, the as- sessment of reliability and validity did not yield the fully desired values. With regard to reliability, only the IS subscale exceeded the minimum recommended value. One potential solution would be to test the model with only two items for the subscale, as is the case with the NS and DAS subscales, where one item consistently demonstrated poor values. While this procedure is methodological- ly feasible, it is not suitable in theoretical or interpretative terms. The individu- al subscales are analysed independently; therefore, each subscale must have at least three variables. In the case of validity, weak but significant relationships were identified, which can be attributed to the large research sample. Moreover, for valid evidence of criterion-related validity, the Commitment Scale and others Article16 directly focused on measuring identity strategies (e.g., U-MICS) are missing. Fu- ture studies should include these variables and assess the US-ISI-5 on different research samples, ideally from a longitudinal perspective.

  Keywords: adolescents reliability validity subscale several large sample czech validation item test identity strategies group values
• Does the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales–Youth Version (DASS-Y) Remain Consistent Across Time and Diverse School-Aged Youth? (2026) · doi

  Despite the DASS-Y’s increasing use across diverse cultural contexts, two critical gaps had remained unaddressed: the lack of evidence regarding measurement invariance across time and developmental stages, and uncertainty about whether traditional CFA adequately captures the scale’s factor structure given the inherent overlap among depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms in youth.

  Keywords: across despite dass increasing diverse cultural contexts critical gaps remained unaddressed lack evidence regarding measurement
• Properties of the DASS‐21 in an Australian Community Adolescent Population (2016) · doi

  Evidence as to the applicability of the DASS subscale scores to represent the distinct states of depression, anxiety, and stress as experienced by adolescents is mixed, and the age at which it may be possible to differentiate these 3 states using the DASS-21 has not yet been determined.

  Keywords: dass states evidence applicability subscale scores represent distinct depression anxiety stress experienced adolescents mixed possible