Objective: This study investigated the reliability and validity of the DAS-A in a sample of 308 Chinese adults in Hong Kong.
Method: The reliability of the DAS-A and its relevant sub-scales was measured using internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) and Guttman split-half reliability. Principal components analysis was performed to assess construct validity. Discriminant validity of the DAS-A was performed by examining whether the DAS-A could discriminate between the depressed and the non-depressed subjects in this study.
Results: The split-half reliability of the DAS-A was found to be r = 0.87; Cronbach's alpha was 0.945; and item-total correlations ranged between 0.36 and 0.75. Factor analysis revealed three factors that were similar to those that were found in other studies: Performance Evaluation, Need for Approval, and Anaclitic Self-Esteem. Discriminant validity suggested that the DAS-A discriminated successfully between the non-depressed and the depressed groups. Nevertheless, some differences were noticed in the relative strength of the factors and in the distribution of the scale items into the three factors.
Conclusion: It was hoped that with this type of cross-cultural information, the universality of the constructs of the DAS-A could be reliably demonstrated.