title: Assessing depression in youth at clinical high risk for psychosis: a comparison of three measures.
abstract: Depressive symptoms are prevalent among individuals at clinical high-risk (CHR) for psychosis. Prior studies have used the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), and the "dysphoric mood" item of the Scale of Prodromal Symptoms (SOPS) to assess depressive symptoms in CHR samples. We compared the psychometric properties of these instruments in a CHR cohort, to support the selection of appropriate depressive symptoms measures in future studies and in clinical settings. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. Construct validity was assessed through correlations with SOPS items that were expected or not expected to be related to depressive symptoms. Criterion validity was assessed by comparing scores between patients with and without a major depressive disorder diagnosis. We hypothesized based on the schizophrenia literature that the BDI would have superior internal consistency and discriminant validity compared to the HDRS, and that all three measures would show convergent validity and criterion validity. The BDI demonstrated superior internal consistency and construct validity in this at-risk sample. The BDI and HDRS differentiated patients with major depressive disorder, but SOPS dysphoria did not. This has implications for the choice of depression measures in future CHR studies and for the interpretation of past findings.
authors.affiliation: Columbia University School of Social Work, 1255 Amsterdam Avenue, 9th floor, New York, NY 10027, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center/New York State Psychiatric Institute, 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032, USA. Electronic address: jed2147@columbia.edu.
authors.forename: Jordan E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: DeVylder
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 West 168th Street, Room 1610, New York, NY 10032, USA.
authors.forename: Lawrence H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 120 Wall Street, 29th Floor, New York, NY 10005, USA.
authors.forename: Jill M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Harkavy-Friedman
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center/New York State Psychiatric Institute, 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032, USA.
authors.forename: Neyra
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Azimov
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Brooklyn College of The City University of New York, Room 5315 James Hall, 2900 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11210, USA; The Graduate Center of The City University of New York, 365 5th Ave, New York, NY 10016, USA.
authors.forename: Deborah J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Walder
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center/New York State Psychiatric Institute, 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032, USA.
authors.forename: Cheryl M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Corcoran
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011594:Psychometrics; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: At-risk; Depressive symptoms; Prodrome; Psychometric; Reliability; Schizophrenia; Validity