title: Content validity of the Psychiatric Symptom Index, CES-depression Scale, and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory from the perspective of DSM-IV.
abstract: We compared the item content of three commonly used scales of psychiatric symptoms [the broad-band Psychiatric Symptom Index (Ilfeld) and two narrow-band scales, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale (Radloff) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (Spielberger)], with diagnostic criteria and criterion-based symptoms for Major Depressive Episode and Generalized Anxiety Disorder as they appeared in DSM-IV. The Psychiatric Symptom Index and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale each measured 7 of 9 criterion-based symptoms of Major Depressive Episode. The Psychiatric Symptom Index and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory each measured 5 of 8 domains for Generalized Anxiety Disorder. The Psychiatric Symptom Index had comparable content validity to the narrow-band measures. All met a majority of DSM-IV criteria for depression and anxiety, supporting their applicability for current research.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York 10461, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Okun
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Stein
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Bauman
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Silver
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results