The reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale Form A (DAS-A) in a community sample.
OBJECTIVE
This study investigated the reliability and validity of the DAS-A in a sample of 308 Chinese adults in Hong Kong.


METHODS
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.


CONCLUSIONS
It was hoped that with this type of cross-cultural information, the universality of the constructs of the DAS-A could be reliably demonstrated.
Wong
Daniel Fu Keung
DF
Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. fwong@unimelb.edu.au
Chan
Kin Sun
KS
Lau
Ying
Y
D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006723:Hong Kong; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014175:Translating