title: Validity of the self reporting questionnaire-20 in epidemiological studies with older adults: results from the Sao Paulo Ageing & Health Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study examined the validity of the self-reporting questionnaire (SRQ-20) in a population-based survey with older adults in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study sample consisted of 2,008 individuals aged 65 years or more who were living in an economically disadvantaged area of the city. The geriatric mental state (GMS) was used as the gold standard for the assessment of common mental disorders (CMD).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The optimal SRQ-20 threshold for case definition was 4/5 (sensitivity = 76.1%, specificity = 74.6%, area under ROC curve = 0.82). Women, older participants and those with lower income were more likely to be misclassified by the questionnaire. The inclusion of older persons with dementia or psychosis did not change the ability of the SRQ-20 to identify cases of CMD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The SRQ-20 may be a useful instrument to be used in large epidemiological studies in resource-poor settings for the identification of cases of depression and anxiety in later life. The performance of the SRQ-20 among older adults was similar to that observed with the adult population in Brazil.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil. scazufca@usp.br
authors.forename: Marcia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scazufca
authors.forename: Paulo R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Menezes
authors.forename: Homero
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Vallada
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Araya
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011203:Poverty; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*
references.citation: Evid Based Med. 2006 Oct;11(5):130-1
references.pmid: 17213136
references.citation: Soc Sci Med. 1999 Dec;49(11):1461-71
references.pmid: 10515629
references.citation: Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 1992 Aug;27(4):168-73
references.pmid: 1411744
references.citation: Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2003 Feb;18(2):109-17
references.pmid: 12571818
references.citation: Braz J Psychiatry. 2007 Sep;29(3):250-3
references.pmid: 17891254
references.citation: Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2005 Jan;40(1):36-41
references.pmid: 15624073
references.citation: J Psychiatr Res. 1982-1983;17(1):37-49
references.pmid: 7183759
references.citation: JAMA. 1990 Nov 21;264(19):2524-8
references.pmid: 2146410
references.citation: Int Psychogeriatr. 2008 Apr;20(2):394-405
references.pmid: 17559708
references.citation: J Pak Med Assoc. 2006 Aug;56(8):366-70
references.pmid: 16967789
references.citation: Lancet. 2003 Mar 15;361(9361):909-17
references.pmid: 12648969
references.citation: Br J Psychiatry. 2004 Nov;185:429-36
references.pmid: 15516553
references.citation: Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2007 Sep;42(9):712-5
references.pmid: 17603739
references.citation: Psychol Med. 1986 Feb;16(1):89-99
references.pmid: 3515380
references.citation: Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2001 Spring;9(2):102-12
references.pmid: 11316615
references.citation: Br J Psychiatry. 1986 Jan;148:23-6
references.pmid: 3955316
references.citation: Psychol Med. 1997 Jul;27(4):775-89
references.pmid: 9234456
references.citation: J Chronic Dis. 1986;39(5):371-8
references.pmid: 3700578
references.citation: Int J Epidemiol. 2008 Aug;37(4):721-3
references.pmid: 17666423
references.citation: Science. 2003 Nov 14;302(5648):1172-5
references.pmid: 14615528
references.citation: Int Psychogeriatr. 1996 Spring;8(1):103-12
references.pmid: 8805091
references.citation: Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2000 Jun;15(6):521-31
references.pmid: 10861918
references.citation: Br J Psychiatry. 2002 Feb;180:161-7
references.pmid: 11823329
references.citation: Soc Sci Med. 2008 Feb;66(4):1008-18
references.pmid: 18178299
references.citation: Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 1999 Apr;23(3):431-46
references.pmid: 10378228
references.citation: Int Psychogeriatr. 2007 Aug;19(4):623-34
references.pmid: 17069666
references.citation: Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2007 Apr;42(4):328-35
references.pmid: 17370049
references.citation: J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2003 Mar;58(3):249-65
references.pmid: 12634292
references.citation: Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2005 Aug;40(8):622-7
references.pmid: 16091859
references.citation: Neurology. 1994 Apr;44(4):609-14
references.pmid: 8164812
references.citation: Br J Psychiatry. 1999 Apr;174:307-11
references.pmid: 10533549
references.citation: Psychol Med. 1980 May;10(2):231-41
references.pmid: 7384326
references.citation: Soc Sci Med. 2002 May;54(9):1419-27
references.pmid: 12058857