Psychometric evaluation of the Spanish DASS-21 among Venezuelan medical students: Internal consistency and three-factor structure

Evaluación psicométrica del DASS-21 en español entre estudiantes de medicina venezolanos: consistencia interna y estructura de tres factores

Abstract

Background: Medical students commonly report elevated psychological distress. In contexts where locally validated instruments are scarce, brief symptom screening tools with stable measurement properties are required. This study examined the psychometric performance of the Spanish 21-item Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) in Venezuelan medical students. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional field study was conducted with 229 students from years 1-6, recruited via non-probabilistic sampling. Participants completed the Spanish DASS-21. Internal consistency was estimated using Cronbach’s alpha. Construct adequacy and factorability were assessed using sampling adequacy statistics and factor-analytic procedures.