Overall Anxiety Severity and Impairment Scale (OASIS) and Overall Depression Severity and Impairment Scale (ODSIS): Adaptation and Validation in Buenos Aires, Argentina

BACKGROUND: The OASIS and ODSIS scales are two transdiagnostic brief 5-item instruments designed to assess the severity and functional impairment associated with symptoms of anxiety and depression, respectively. The present study aimed to adapt and validate the online versions of both scales in Buenos Aires, Argentina. METHOD: A sample of 344 women and men from the general population of Buenos Aires completed a test battery consisting of the OASIS, the ODSIS, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS) and the Multicultural Quality of Life Index (MQLI). Descriptive statistics and item discrimination of both scales were analyzed, as well as their factorial structure, internal consistency, and convergent and discriminant validity, using the R programming language. RESULTS: The results showed a unidimensional factorial structure, excellent internal consistency, and adequate construct validity for both the OASIS and the ODSIS. CONCLUSION: These results supports the use of both scales as valid and reliable instruments to assess severity and interference due to anxiety and depression in the general population of Buenos Aires, Argentina.