Psychometric properties of instruments for assessing depression among African youth: A systematic review.
OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to systematically review the psychometric properties of instruments used to screen for major depressive disorder or assess depression symptom severity among African youth.


METHODS
Systematic search terms were applied to seven bibliographic databases: African Journals Online, the African Journal Archive, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Embase, the Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), PsycINFO, and the World Health Organization (WHO) African Index Medicus. Studies examining the reliability and/or validity of depression assessment tools were selected for inclusion if they were based on data collected from youth (any author definition) in an African member state of the United Nations. We extracted data on study population characteristics, sampling strategy, sample size, the instrument assessed, and the type of reliability and/or validity evidence provided.


RESULTS
Of 1 027 records, we included 23 studies of 10 499 youth in 10 African countries. Most studies reported excellent scale reliability, but there was much less evidence of equivalence or criterion-related validity. No measures were validated in more than two countries.


CONCLUSIONS
There is a paucity of evidence on the reliability or validity of depression assessment among African youth. The field is constrained by a lack of established criterion standards, but studies incorporating mixed methods offer promising strategies for guiding the process of cross-cultural development and validation.
a Joint Clinical Research Centre , Makerere University , Kampala , Uganda.
Massy
M
Mutumba
Mark
M
Tomlinson
Alexander C
AC
Tsai
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000349:Africa / Q000208:ethnology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D011594:Psychometrics; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult