Cross-cultural adaptation of the Brazilian version of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS)

Abstract

Objective:This study aims to develop the Brazilian Portuguese version of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS), a tool that is designed to measure levels of depression, stress and anxiety and has been extensively used for coaching psychology research.Design:Transversal study of the cross-cultural adaptation of a scale originally established in the English language to Brazilian Portuguese.Methods:Translations and back-translations of the original scale were made by mental health professionals, bilingual and not knowing the particularities of the scale. The synthetic version was later developed by a group of professionals also bilingual and with expertise in the constructs. Experimental application of the instrument made it possible to assess the adequacy of the items to the target population.Results:The translations and back-translations played an important role in creating the synthetic version, thus fostering a debate that provided better semantic adaptation of the items, preserving their original sense. The experimental application showed the adequacy of the items, which were fully understood by respondents of the target language.Conclusion:The semantic adaptation of the DASS to Brazilian Portuguese was accomplished, opening an important avenue for the development of coaching psychology in Brazil.