The mediating role of depression, anxiety, and stress between health literacy, life satisfaction, and psychological maladjustment in young Turkish adults

The present study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Mini-DASS and to test the mediating role of depression, anxiety, and stress in the association between health literacy and both life satisfaction and psychological maladjustment. Two consecutive studies were conducted. Study 1 evaluated the psychometric properties of the Turkish Mini-DASS using item analysis, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), criterion validity, and internal consistency reliability. Study 2 tested a proposed mediation model. Participants were Turkish young adults recruited online (Study 1: N = 460; Study 2: N = 905). In Study 1, EFA supported the original three factor structure of the Mini-DASS with acceptable factor loadings, and all subscales demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency. CFA indicated good model fit indices, supporting the validity of the three-factor model. In Study 2, mediation analysis revealed significant indirect effects of depression, anxiety, and stress in the association between health literacy and both life satisfaction and psychological maladjustment. The Turkish Mini-DASS is a brief, reliable, and valid measure of psychological distress, encompassing depression, anxiety, and stress. The mediation findings indicated that health literacy is associated with both life satisfaction and psychological maladjustment, and that depression, anxiety, and stress functioned as mediators in this association, highlighting the potential relevance of psychological distress in explaining how health literacy relates to individuals’ broader psychosocial functioning.