Investigating the Structure of the CESD-R and DASS-21 Across Adults with Low and High Levels of Autistic Traits

• Published in: Journal of autism and developmental disorders Vol. 54; no. 5; pp. 2026 - 2039
• Main Authors: McKernan, Elizabeth P., Russo, Natalie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.05.2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Anxiety; Anxiety - diagnosis; Anxiety - psychology; Autism; Autism Spectrum Disorder - diagnosis; Autism Spectrum Disorder - psychology; Autistic Disorder - diagnosis; Autistic Disorder - psychology; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Child & adolescent psychiatry; Child and School Psychology; College students; Communication; Depression - diagnosis; Depression - psychology; Epidemiology; Equality; Factor Analysis, Statistical; Female; Genotype & phenotype; Humans; Male; Measures; Mental depression; Mental disorders; Mental health; Middle Aged; Neurosciences; Original Paper; Pediatrics; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychology; Psychometrics; Public Health; Stress; Stress, Psychological - psychology; Validity; Young Adult; Factorial invariance; Depression; Anxiety; Autism spectrum disorder; Stress
• ISSN: 0162-3257; 1573-3432
• DOI: 10.1007/s10803-023-05944-5

The current study examined factorial invariance of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale-Revised (CESD-R) and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21) using a convenience sample of 434 adults surveyed though Amazon Mechanical Turk. Participants were sorted into two groups based on their score on the Autism-Spectrum Quotient. Results indicated that the CESD-R did not demonstrate configural invariance. The DASS-21 demonstrated evidence of scalar invariance, indicating cross-group equality in factor loadings and factor intercepts. Findings suggest that the DASS-21 measures symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress consistently across individuals with high and low levels of ASD-related traits, whereas the CESD-R may not be valid when assessing symptoms of depression in those with a high level of ASD-related traits.