Factorial structure of a short version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the factor structure of a ten-item version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD-10).


METHODS
Two hundred and thirty-one Chinese persons aged 60-92 were individually interviewed with the CESD-10. The data were subject to confirmatory factor analysis testing several competing models. The one-factor model hypothesizes that all ten items are loaded on a single factor. In the two-factor model, positive affect items are loaded on one factor, and the remaining items on the other. The three-factor model distinguishes between positive affect, depressed affect, and somatic symptoms.


RESULTS
The three-factor model was the best fitting model, with a comparative fit index of 0.95 and a standardized root mean square residual of 0.06. Depressed affect and somatic symptoms were highly correlated, and both were moderately correlated with positive affect. Nonetheless, all three factors appeared to tap a common underlying construct of depression-when a higher-order construct of depression was allowed to explain the intercorrelations of the three factors, depressed affect loaded at 0.88, somatic symptoms loaded at 0.92, and positive affect loaded at 0.51, on the higher-order construct.


CONCLUSIONS
The data provided support for the factorial validity of the CESD-10.
Department of Applied Social Studies, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. tak.cheng@cityu.edu.hk
Sheung-Tak
ST
Cheng
Alfred C M
AC
Chan
Helene H
HH
Fung
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D044466:Asian People; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000592:standards*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*