A bifactor exploratory structural equation modeling representation of the structure of the Arabic short form of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21

Abstract

The purpose was to investigate the DASS-21 factor structure developed by Lovibond and Lovibond (1995) using bifactor exploratory structural equation modeling (bifactor ESEM). The study included a sample of (810) students from all colleges of Umm Al-Qura University. The sample included 530 males (65.4%) and 280 females (34.6), from the first to the fourth year, aged between 18-21 years (M = 19.8, standard deviation = 28.7). Based on this analysis, it was determined that bifactor ESEM exhibits the best model fit. The results of the bifactor ESEM point to a robust general factor that underlies the answers to the DASS-21 items. But when the individual components were looked at, the Depression factor produced the best findings. While the Anxiety factor yielded results that were partially suitable, the Stress factor showed negative and insufficient loadings.