Depression and anxiety symptoms in adolescents across 30 countries : cross-national measurement invariance and relationships with subjective well-being

Jovanović, Veljko (avtor), Avsec, Andreja (avtor), Kavčič, Tina (avtor), Zager Kocjan, Gaja (avtor)

Cross-cultural empirical evidence on the validity of measures of depression and anxiety symptoms in adolescents is scarce and inconclusive. The present study investigated the cross-national measurement invariance and convergent validity evidence of the Depression and Anxiety scales of the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS-21). We sampled 16,802 adolescents (58.1% female) aged 14–19 years across 30 countries from five continents. Both exact and approximate measurement invariance were tested. The results provided evidence for the exploratory structural equation model (ESEM) as the best representation of the data in most countries. Full scalar invariance was not supported when tested across all countries, but only among two Southern Asian countries (Bangladesh, India), two Northern European countries (Estonia, Lithuania), the six former republics of Yugoslavia, and European and American countries grouped by UN subregions. Results of the alignment method supported the approximate invariance of the ESEM model across 29 countries. Associations between Depression and Anxiety ESEM factors and life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect conformed to the theoretical expectations in most countries. Our findings indicate that the Depression and Anxiety scales of the DASS-21 have potential for use in cross-national research on adolescent internalizing symptoms, but we highlight issues of using it outside of Western (European, North American) settings.

• Jezik: Angleški jezik
• Ključne besede: depression, anxiety, culture, adolescence, measurement invariance, exploratory structural equation modeling
• Vrsta gradiva: Članek v reviji
• Tipologija: 1.01 - Izvirni znanstveni članek
• Organizacija: FF - Filozofska fakulteta ; ZF - Zdravstvena fakulteta
• Status publikacije: Objavljeno
• Različica publikacije: Recenzirani rokopis
• Leto izida: 2026
• Št. strani: 13 str.
• Številčenje: Vol. 406, art. 121693
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-181386
• UDK: 159.942-053.6
• ISSN pri članku: 1573-2517
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2026.121693
• COBISS.SI-ID: 274174467
• Datum objave v RUL: 03.04.2026

Gradivo je del revije

• Naslov: Journal of affective disorders
• Založnik: Elsevier
• ISSN: 1573-2517
• COBISS.SI-ID: 23090949

Licence

• Licenca: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, Creative Commons Priznanje avtorstva-Nekomercialno-Brez predelav 4.0 Mednarodna
• Povezava: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.sl
• Opis: Najbolj omejujoča licenca Creative Commons. Uporabniki lahko prenesejo in delijo delo v nekomercialne namene in ga ne smejo uporabiti za nobene druge namene.

Sekundarni jezik

• Jezik: Slovenski jezik
• Ključne besede: depresivnost, anksioznost, mladostništvo, medkulturne razlike, merska invariantnost, strukturno modeliranje

Projekti

• Financer: ARIS - Javna agencija za znanstvenoraziskovalno in inovacijsko dejavnost Republike Slovenije
• Številka projekta: P5-0110
• Naslov: Psihološki in nevroznanstveni vidiki kognicije

• Financer: ARIS - Javna agencija za znanstvenoraziskovalno in inovacijsko dejavnost Republike Slovenije
• Številka projekta: P5-0062
• Naslov: Uporabna razvojna psihologija