Assessing Modern-Type Depression Traits in a Predominantly Young Malaysian Convenience Sample: A Preliminary Psychometric Evaluation of the Malay Tarumi’s Modern-Type Depression Trait Scale

Background: Modern-type depression (MTD), first described in Japan, reflects a sociocultural form of depression characterized by avoidance of social roles, complaint tendencies, and low self-esteem. While increasingly recognized across Asian societies, no Malay-language adaptation of the TACS-22 has previously undergone psychometric evaluation. Objectives: This study aimed to translate and culturally adapt the Tarumi’s Modern-Type Depression Trait Scale (TACS) into Malay and to evaluate the reliability, factorial structure, discriminant validity, and convergent associations of the Malay version among Malaysian adults. Methods: Following standardized forward and backward translation and expert review, the TACS-22-Malay was administered to convenience sample of 250 predominantly young Malaysian adults together with the Malay Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale. Internal consistency was examined using Cronbach’s alpha, ordinal McDonald’s omega, and the Greatest Lower Bound (GLB). Because the TACS items comprise five ordered-response categories and multivariate nonnormality was present, the primary confirmatory factor analysis used the weighted least squares mean and variance-adjusted estimator with ordered indicators. The complete 22-item-correlated three-factor model was evaluated, with robust maximum likelihood and conventional maximum likelihood models used as sensitivity analyses. A one-factor model was also examined. Convergent associations were evaluated using Spearman’s ρ with bootstrap confidence intervals. Results: Internal consistency was high for the total score (alpha = 0.804, ordinal omega = 0.839, GLB = 0.877), but varied across Avoidance of Social Roles (alpha = 0.617, omega = 0.677), Low Self-Esteem (alpha = 0.711, omega = 0.760), and Complaint (alpha = 0.412, omega = 0.496). The primary three-factor WLSMV model showed poor fit, chi square (206) = 794.922, p < 0.001, CFI = 0.587, TLI = 0.537, RMSEA = 0.117, 90% CI [0.110, 0.125], SRMR = 0.108, and produced an inadmissible latent covariance matrix. Latent correlations were 0.748, 0.959, and 1.050, with the Low Self-Esteem and Complaint correlation exceeding 1. The one-factor WLSMV model also fit poorly. Robust and conventional maximum likelihood sensitivity analyses led to the same substantive conclusion. All TACS scores were positively associated with DASS 21 Depression, Anxiety, and Stress, with Spearman’s ρ ranging from 0.235 to 0.644. Conclusions: The Malay TACS-22 demonstrates useful internal consistency at the total score level and meaningful associations with psychological distress, but the hypothesized three-factor measurement model was not supported and discriminant validity between factors was inadequate. The poor fit of the one-factor model also indicates that high total score reliability should not be interpreted as evidence of unidimensionality. The present findings therefore support the Malay version as a provisional adaptation requiring further item refinement and independent validation rather than as a fully validated instrument.