Gender Invariance of DASS Short Forms in Sexual Violence Survivors: An Extension

Purpose: This study, a replication and extension of previous work, evaluated six abbreviated versions of the DASS-21 to identify a psychometrically sound and gender-equitable tool for assessing emotional distress in adult survivors of sexual violence. Methods: Secondary data from 893 survivors (451 men and 442 women) were analyzed. Bootstrapped confirmatory factor analysis and multigroup CFA were used to assess model fit, reliability, concurrent validity, and gender invariance. Results: While the top-performing models achieved metric invariance, none supported scalar invariance. The two-factor DASS-10 and three-factor DASS-12a demonstrated the strongest psychometric profiles, with the DASS-10 showing the most stable model fit across both men and women. All tested short forms showed strong concurrent validity. Conclusions: The DASS-10 is recommended for rapid screening and the DASS-12a is a robust three-factor alternative. The lack of scalar invariance cautions against cross-gender mean comparisons, highlighting the need for gender-responsive interpretation in trauma-informed practice.