Criterion validity of the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire for depressive episodes in clinic and non-clinic subjects.
BACKGROUND
Previous measures of pediatric depression have shown inconsistent validity in groups with differing demographics, comorbid diagnoses, and clinic or non-clinic origins. The current study re-examines the criterion validity of child- and parent-versions of the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ-C, MFQ-P) in a heterogeneous sample of children and adolescents from clinic and non-clinic sources.


METHODS
Among 470 consecutive youth completing semi-structured interviews at a university-based child psychiatry center, total scores from the 33-item MFQ-C and 34-item MFQ-P were examined across subjects with and without mood disorders using analysis of variance, and receiver operating characteristics analysis.


RESULTS
Mean scores of the MFQ-C and MFQ-P, respectively, differed significantly (p < .0005) across youth having major depressive episodes (MDE) (33 and 32, n = 77), mood disorders not meeting criteria for current MDE (24 and 28, n = 75), and no mood disorders (12 and 10, n = 318). In the overall sample, areas under the curve (AUC) for discriminating MDE and any mood disorder, respectively, were .85 and .83 on the MFQ-C, .86 and .90 on the MFQ-P, and .89 and .90 on the MFQ-C and MFQ-P averaged together, suggesting moderate to high criterion validity. Similar findings were noted in subgroups divided by age, sex, race, comorbid psychopathology, and clinic or non-clinic origins. AUCs of these MFQ scores compared favorably with those of the Beck's Depressive Inventory, the Child Behavior Checklist's Anxious/Depressed scale and the Children's Depressive Rating Scale-Revised by the same raters. A score of 29 on the MFQ-C (positive screen rate 21%, sensitivity 68%, specificity 88%) or 27 on the MFQ-P (positive screen rate 23%, sensitivity 61%, specificity 85%) optimally discriminated youth with MDE from the rest of the sample.


CONCLUSIONS
The MFQ-C and MFQ-P, especially used in combination, validly identify MDE or other mood disorders in youth diverse in demographic and clinical characteristics.
Daviss
W Burleson
WB
Western Psychiatric Institute & Clinic and the University of Pittsburgh, USA. davissw@uthscsa.edu
Birmaher
Boris
B
Melhem
Nadine A
NA
Axelson
David A
DA
Michaels
Shana M
SM
Brent
David A
DA
D000293:Adolescent; D001290:Attitude; D002648:Child; D003710:Demography; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D012372:ROC Curve; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires