DASS-42: Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-42

Full 42-item version of DASS with 14 items per subscale for research. ≈ 10 min to complete. Free with attribution.

stress 42 items ≈ 10 min Updated 2026-05-06

Score DASS-42 below → Download printable PDF View source paper (DOI)

What is DASS-42? DASS-42 (Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-42) is a validated instrument used to assess full 42-item version of dass with 14 items per subscale for research.. It is used in full 42-item version of dass with 14 items per subscale for research.. It comprises 42 items. Administration takes about 10 min.

What is DASS-42?

DASS-42 (Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-42) is a validated clinical instrument used to assess full 42-item version of dass with 14 items per subscale for research.. It is most often used for full 42-item version of dass with 14 items per subscale for research.. The instrument contains 42 items. Typical administration time is ≈ 10 min.

Source / attribution: Free to use with citation

Full name	Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-42
Measures	Full 42-item version of DASS with 14 items per subscale for research.
Specialty	stress
Time to complete	≈ 10 min
Number of items	42
Scoring method	sum
License	Free with attribution
Last updated	2026-05-06
Algorithm version	2.0

Clinical context: when DASS-42 is used

Full 42-item version of DASS with 14 items per subscale for research. DASS-42 is part of standard practice in this setting because it provides a structured, replicable assessment that can be tracked over time and compared across patients or visits.

Like all screening or assessment instruments, DASS-42 is a structured aid — not a diagnostic test in isolation. Results should be interpreted alongside history, examination, and clinical context. Where a score crosses an actionable threshold, the next step is typically a more detailed clinical evaluation rather than a definitive diagnosis.

Score DASS-42

Answer all 42 items below to see your DASS-42 score and interpretation.

Each item is scored on a 4-point scale (0–3). Your score updates live as you answer.

Item 1. I found myself getting upset by quite trivial things
Item 2. I was aware of dryness of my mouth
Item 3. I couldn't seem to experience any positive feeling at all
Item 4. I experienced breathing difficulty
Item 5. I just couldn't seem to get going
Item 6. I tended to over-react to situations
Item 7. I had a feeling of shakiness (e.g., legs going to give way)
Item 8. I found it difficult to relax
Item 9. I found myself in situations that made me so anxious I was most relieved when they ended
Item 10. I felt that I had nothing to look forward to
Item 11. I found myself getting upset rather easily
Item 12. I felt that I was using a lot of nervous energy
Item 13. I felt sad and depressed
Item 14. I found myself getting impatient when I was delayed in any way
Item 15. I had a feeling of faintness
Item 16. I lost interest in just about everything
Item 17. I felt I wasn't worth much as a person
Item 18. I felt that I was rather touchy
Item 19. I perspired noticeably (e.g., hands sweaty) in the absence of high temperatures or physical exertion
Item 20. I felt scared without any good reason
Item 21. I felt that life wasn't worthwhile
Item 22. I found it hard to wind down
Item 23. I had difficulty in swallowing
Item 24. I couldn't seem to get any enjoyment out of the things I did
Item 25. I was aware of the action of my heart in the absence of physical exertion
Item 26. I felt down-hearted and blue
Item 27. I found that I was very irritable
Item 28. I felt I was close to panic
Item 29. I found it hard to calm down after something upset me
Item 30. I feared that I would be thrown by some trivial but unfamiliar task
Item 31. I was unable to become enthusiastic about anything
Item 32. I found it difficult to tolerate interruptions to what I was doing
Item 33. I was in a state of nervous tension
Item 34. I felt I was pretty worthless
Item 35. I was intolerant of anything that kept me from getting on with what I was doing
Item 36. I felt terrified
Item 37. I could see nothing in the future to be hopeful about
Item 38. I felt that life was meaningless
Item 39. I found myself getting agitated
Item 40. I was worried about situations in which I might panic and make a fool of myself
Item 41. I experienced trembling (e.g., in the hands)
Item 42. I found it difficult to work up the initiative to do things

All scoring runs in your browser. No data is sent anywhere — close the tab and the answers are gone.

How DASS-42 is scored

Sum each subscale (14 items). Depression range 0-42, Anxiety 0-42, Stress 0-42. Same severity categories.

Scoring notes: Sum each subscale (14 items). Depression range 0-42, Anxiety 0-42, Stress 0-42. Same severity categories.

DASS-42 score interpretation

The cutoffs below are drawn from the published validation literature. Always interpret in clinical context.

Score range	Band	Interpretation
0–9	Normal	None
10–13	Mild	Monitor
14–20	Moderate	Consider treatment
21–27	Severe	Active treatment
28–42	Extremely severe	Immediate treatment

How to score DASS-42: a step-by-step worked example

This is an illustrative walkthrough, not a real patient. Follow the same four steps with your own answers — or use the live calculator at the top of this page.

Step 1 — Score each item

Read each question and choose the response that best fits. Each response has a number next to it — that number is the item's score. The example below uses illustrative answers.

#	Item	Example response	Score
1	I found myself getting upset by quite trivial things	Did not apply to me at all	0
2	I was aware of dryness of my mouth	Did not apply to me at all	0
3	I couldn't seem to experience any positive feeling at all	Did not apply to me at all	0
4	I experienced breathing difficulty	Did not apply to me at all	0
5	I just couldn't seem to get going	Did not apply to me at all	0
6	I tended to over-react to situations	Did not apply to me at all	0
7	I had a feeling of shakiness (e.g., legs going to give way)	Did not apply to me at all	0
8	I found it difficult to relax	Did not apply to me at all	0
9	I found myself in situations that made me so anxious I was most relieved when they ended	Did not apply to me at all	0
10	I felt that I had nothing to look forward to	Did not apply to me at all	0
11	I found myself getting upset rather easily	Did not apply to me at all	0
12	I felt that I was using a lot of nervous energy	Did not apply to me at all	0
13	I felt sad and depressed	Did not apply to me at all	0
14	I found myself getting impatient when I was delayed in any way	Did not apply to me at all	0
15	I had a feeling of faintness	Did not apply to me at all	0
16	I lost interest in just about everything	Did not apply to me at all	0
17	I felt I wasn't worth much as a person	Did not apply to me at all	0
18	I felt that I was rather touchy	Did not apply to me at all	0
19	I perspired noticeably (e.g., hands sweaty) in the absence of high temperatures or physical exertion	Did not apply to me at all	0
20	I felt scared without any good reason	Applied to me to some degree	1
21	I felt that life wasn't worthwhile	Did not apply to me at all	0
22	I found it hard to wind down	Applied to me to some degree	1
23	I had difficulty in swallowing	Did not apply to me at all	0
24	I couldn't seem to get any enjoyment out of the things I did	Applied to me to some degree	1
25	I was aware of the action of my heart in the absence of physical exertion	Did not apply to me at all	0
26	I felt down-hearted and blue	Applied to me to some degree	1
27	I found that I was very irritable	Did not apply to me at all	0
28	I felt I was close to panic	Applied to me to some degree	1
29	I found it hard to calm down after something upset me	Did not apply to me at all	0
30	I feared that I would be thrown by some trivial but unfamiliar task	Applied to me to some degree	1
31	I was unable to become enthusiastic about anything	Did not apply to me at all	0
32	I found it difficult to tolerate interruptions to what I was doing	Applied to me to some degree	1
33	I was in a state of nervous tension	Did not apply to me at all	0
34	I felt I was pretty worthless	Applied to me to some degree	1
35	I was intolerant of anything that kept me from getting on with what I was doing	Did not apply to me at all	0
36	I felt terrified	Applied to me to some degree	1
37	I could see nothing in the future to be hopeful about	Did not apply to me at all	0
38	I felt that life was meaningless	Applied to me to some degree	1
39	I found myself getting agitated	Did not apply to me at all	0
40	I was worried about situations in which I might panic and make a fool of myself	Applied to me to some degree	1
41	I experienced trembling (e.g., in the hands)	Did not apply to me at all	0
42	I found it difficult to work up the initiative to do things	Applied to me to some degree	1

Step 2 — Add up the scores

Add up all the item scores you noted in Step 1.

0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + … (items 9–42 sum to 12) = 12

Step 3 — Look up the band

Find the row in the interpretation table whose range contains your total:

Total = 12 falls between 10 and 13 → Mild

Step 4 — What does this mean clinically?

Mild. Monitor

A score is one input alongside history and examination. DASS-42 supports clinical judgment — it does not replace it.

Score DASS-42 with your own answers above →

DASS-42 psychometric properties

Internal consistency. Cronbach's α = 0.91 — acceptable to good.
Test–retest reliability. r = 0.84 — stable across repeated administrations.
Validity. Stronger factor structure than DASS-21; preferred for research.

Psychometric figures are drawn from the validation literature and may vary across clinical populations and translations.

Limitations & common pitfalls

Sum each subscale (14 items). Depression range 0-42, Anxiety 0-42, Stress 0-42. Same severity categories.
Screening, not diagnosis. A positive DASS-42 score is not equivalent to a diagnosis. Confirmatory clinical evaluation is required before treatment decisions.
Population calibration. Cutoffs were derived from specific validation populations. Performance can differ in other age groups, languages, comorbid conditions, or clinical settings.
Self-report bias. Patient-reported instruments are subject to under- and over-reporting; clinical context is essential.

How DASS-42 compares to other stress scales

If DASS-42 doesn't fit your context, related instruments in stress include:

Scale	Measures	Items	Time
DASS-21	21-item short form measuring depression, anxiety, and stress with three subscales.	21	≈ 5 min
PSS-10	10-item measure of the degree to which situations are appraised as stressful.	10	≈ 2 min
PSS-4	Ultra-brief 4-item version of PSS for large surveys.	4	≈ 1 min
PSS-14	Original 14-item version of the Perceived Stress Scale.	14	≈ 3 min
PHQ-9	Severity of depression	9	≈ 3 minutes
GAD-7	Severity of generalized anxiety	7	≈ 2 minutes
AUDIT	10-item WHO screening tool for hazardous alcohol consumption and dependence.	10	≈ 3 min
CHA2DS2-VASc	Annual stroke risk in non-valvular atrial fibrillation	8	—

Frequently asked questions about DASS-42

What does DASS-42 measure?

DASS-42 (Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-42) is a validated instrument that assesses a full 42-item version of DASS with 14 items per subscale for research. It is designed for clinicians, medical students, evidence-synthesis researchers. It takes about 10 min to complete, and the 42 items are summed to produce a total score.

How long does DASS-42 take to complete?

DASS-42 typically takes about 10 min to administer. The exact duration varies a little depending on whether it is self-administered or completed with a clinician. Its brief format is part of what makes it practical for routine clinical use and for repeat administration when tracking change over time.

How many items are on DASS-42?

DASS-42 contains 42 items. Item scores are summed to produce the total. Scores run from 0 to 42, grouped into 5 interpretation bands from ‘Normal’ up to ‘Extremely severe’.

What is a high DASS-42 score?

On the DASS-42 (total score 0–42), scores of 28–42 fall in the ‘Extremely severe’ band — interpreted as: Immediate treatment. The full ladder is: 0–9 — Normal: None.; 10–13 — Mild: Monitor.; 14–20 — Moderate: Consider treatment.; 21–27 — Severe: Active treatment.; 28–42 — Extremely severe: Immediate treatment. A higher score reflects a more severe presentation, and crossing a cutoff is a prompt to step up assessment or care — but these bands are screening thresholds, not diagnoses.

What is a low DASS-42 score?

Scores of 0–9 fall in the ‘Normal’ band: None. A low score is reassuring but does not by itself rule out the underlying condition — if symptoms or clinical suspicion persist, reassess over time or use a complementary evaluation rather than relying on the number alone.

How reliable is DASS-42?

DASS-42 has reported Cronbach's α of 0.91 in validation samples and test–retest reliability of 0.84. Stronger factor structure than DASS-21; preferred for research. In practical terms, a Cronbach’s α around 0.91 indicates excellent internal consistency (the items hang together well), and a test–retest reliability of 0.84 means scores are strongly stable when the scale is repeated without real clinical change.

Is DASS-42 free to use?

DASS-42 is free to use with attribution — clinical, educational, and research use is permitted provided the original source is credited. If you publish results or reproduce the scale, include the citation to the source paper.

What is the source paper for DASS-42?

Lovibond, S. H., & Lovibond, P. F. (1995). Manual for the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales. Psychology Foundation. This is the original publication for the DASS-42 — the reference to cite when reporting results.

Can DASS-42 replace clinical judgment?

No. DASS-42 is a structured assessment aid, not a diagnostic test. Its proper role is assessment with the DASS-42 — it standardizes assessment and flags who needs closer evaluation, but the result must be weighed alongside history, examination, and clinical context. When a score conflicts with your clinical impression, clinical judgment takes precedence; treatment decisions should never rest on a screening score alone.

References & validation

DASS-42 is supported by the following peer-reviewed sources:

Lovibond, S. H., & Lovibond, P. F. (1995). Manual for the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales. Psychology Foundation. doi:10.1037/t03580-000 · PubMed