Should you use the DASS for Aboriginal clients?

• A. Yes
• B. Only for adolescents
• C. No it has not been validated
• D. Only if adapted

Answer: (C)

Ensuring a measure is validated for the population you're assessing is essential. The DASS was developed in Western contexts and reflects Western concepts of depression, anxiety, and stress. For Aboriginal clients, how distress is expressed, interpreted, and described can differ due to cultural meanings, language, and historical context. Because there isn’t solid psychometric validation of the DASS specifically with Aboriginal people, using it as-is can lead to misinterpretation, inaccurate scores, or missing culturally specific signs of distress.

The best approach is to avoid relying on the DASS for Aboriginal clients unless it has been adapted and validated for that group. If you need to screen, opt for a tool that has demonstrated validity with Indigenous populations, or collaborate with the community to adapt the DASS and conduct proper validation before using it in practice.