title: [Validity of the brief Zung's scale for screening major depressive episode among the general population from Bucaramanga, Colombia].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Brief scales for identiFying depressive disorder are as useful as long scales for screening. However, a validated scale with these characteristics is not avalaible in Colombia.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To design a brief Zung's self-rating depression scale in order to screen major depressive episodes among adults dwelling in the general community.
  
  
  METHODS
  After filling-out the 20-item Zung's self-rating depression scale, the ten items with the higher correlation with total score were selected. Construct and criterion validity were computed for these ten items.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The ten chosen items showed an internal consistency of 0.803, one factor that accounted for 36.6% of the variance; sensitivity was 95.5%; specificity, 70.3%; Cohen's kappa, 0.415; and area under receptor-operator curve, 0.898.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The brief Zung's self-rating depression scale exhibits psychometric properties similar to the long version. This brief scale can be used as a screening device in the general population.
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Neuropsiquiatría, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Bucaramanga, Bucaramanga, Colombia. acampoar@unab.edu.co
authors.forename: Adalberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Campo
authors.forename: Luis Alfonso
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Díaz
authors.forename: Germán Eduardo
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Rueda
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003105:Colombia; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires