Detecting depressive disorder with the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 in Tanzania.
BACKGROUND
Assessment of the growing prevalence of depression in developing countries is hampered by a lack of valid diagnostic instruments for the local settings.


OBJECTIVE
This study attempted to examine the validity of the 25-item Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL-25) in a special primary care population in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.


RESULTS
787 antenatal participants were recruited, and their responses revealed good internal consistency, interrater reliability, and test-retest reliability, and the scale was validated using content, construct, and discriminant validation methods. Factor analysis of the depression subscale, however, confirmed the need for a locally developed scale.


CONCLUSIONS
Integrating universalist and relativist approaches, through the validation and modification of scales, may help in the detection of depression in cross-cultural settings.
Lee
Bandy
B
Yale University School of Medicine, Division of Law and Psychiatry, New Haven, CT 06519, USA. blee@aya.yale.edu
Kaaya
Sylvia F
SF
Mbwambo
Jessie K
JK
Smith-Fawzi
Mary C
MC
Leshabari
Melkizedek T
MT
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000592:standards*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards; D013636:Tanzania