Abstract

Depression is a disorder that can significantly affect the quality of life of children and adolescents, and it is essential to have accurate tools for its early detection. This article analyzes the internal structure of the Chilean version of the Depression Self -Assessment Scale in a representative sample of 19,648 secondary school students in Chile. A scale reduced to 15 items is proposed, which shows a good adjustment to a bifactor structure with a general factor of depression and two specific factors: negative affect and positive affect. This structure presents scalar invariance by sex and age groups, so that general scales are obtained for the general scale and the negative affect and positive affect subscales. The use of the DSRS-R is recommended as a screening instrument for depression and is not recommended for diagnostic purposes as it does not capture the entire symptomatological spectrum of this disorder.