Validation of 6-, 9-, and 12-item versions of the Hungarian DASS-21

Description

The dataset contains de-identified, complete-case data from 783 self-declared healthy Hungarian adults aged 18–80 surveyed online between June 2025 and March 2026. It includes demographic variables, derivation/validation allocation, and item and scale scores for the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 and its nested 6-, 9-, and 12-item Hungarian forms. Item and scale scores for the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, WHO-5 Well-Being Index, and Satisfaction With Life Scale are also included; the DASS-21 items permit reconstruction of eight published comparator forms. The workbook contains no missing data and includes a codebook and detailed scoring notes.

Steps to reproduce

Obtain ethics approval and recruit 783 Hungarian adults aged 18 or older who report being healthy, having no known mental health problems, and receiving no current medical or psychological treatment. After informed consent, administer the authorized Hungarian Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21, Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, WHO-5 Well-Being Index, and Satisfaction With Life Scale online. Retain participants with complete responses and randomly divide them by sex into development (n = 391) and validation (n = 392) groups. Use the development group to select two, three, and four items per subscale while preserving distinct aspects of depression, anxiety, and stress, and repeat the selection 1,000 times to assess its stability. Use the validation group and full sample to examine reliability, validity, performance across sex and age, agreement with the full scale, recovery of severity levels, and performance relative to eight published short forms.

Institutions

• Széchenyi István University

  Győr-Moson-Sopron, Győr
• University of Pecs

  Baranya, Pécs
• Eötvös Loránd University

  Budapest, Budapest

Categories

Licence