title: Development of an item bank for the assessment of depression in persons with mental illnesses and physical diseases using Rasch analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The calibration of item banks provides the basis for computerized adaptive testing that ensures high diagnostic precision and minimizes participants' test burden. The present study aimed at developing a new item bank that allows for assessing depression in persons with mental and persons with somatic diseases.
  
  
  METHODS
  The sample consisted of 161 participants treated for a depressive syndrome, and 206 participants with somatic illnesses (103 cardiologic, 103 otorhinolaryngologic; overall mean age = 44.1 years, SD =14.0; 44.7% women) to allow for validation of the item bank in both groups. Persons answered a pool of 182 depression items on a 5-point Likert scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Evaluation of Rasch model fit (infit < 1.3), differential item functioning, dimensionality, local independence, item spread, item and person separation (>2.0), and reliability (>.80) resulted in a bank of 79 items with good psychometric properties.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The bank provides items with a wide range of content coverage and may serve as a sound basis for computerized adaptive testing applications. It might also be useful for researchers who wish to develop new fixed-length scales for the assessment of depression in specific rehabilitation settings.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Forkmann
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology.
authors.forename: Maren
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boecker
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy LWL-University-Clinic, Ruhr-University Bochum.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Norra
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology.
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Eberle
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Phillips-University Marburg.
authors.forename: Tilo
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-2514-2625
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kircher
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Cardiology, University Hospital of RWTH Aachen.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schauerte
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Cardiology, University Hospital of RWTH Aachen.
authors.forename: Karl
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mischke
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital of RWTH Aachen.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Westhofen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology.
authors.forename: Siegfried
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-2742-4917
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gauggel
authors.affiliation: University of Education.
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wirtz
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D003936:Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted; D005260:Female; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015233:Models, Statistical; D010038:Otorhinolaryngologic Diseases / Q000523:psychology*; D010552:Personality Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012803:Sick Role; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires