Psychometric evaluation of the Malay version of the Montgomery- Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS-BM).
BACKGROUND
This study examines the psychometric properties of the Malay version of the Montgomery-Ǻsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS-BM).


METHODS
A total of 150 participants with (n = 50) and without depression (n = 100) completed the self-rated version of the Montgomery-Ǻsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS-S), the Malay versions of the MADRS-BM, the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II-M), the General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12), and the Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale (SHAPS-M).


RESULTS
With respect to dimensionality of the MADRS-BM, we obtained one factor solution. With respect to reliability, we found that internal consistency was satisfactory. The scale demonstrated excellent parallel form reliability. The one-week test-retest reliability was good. With respect to validity, positive correlations between the MADRS-BM, BDI-II-M, and the GHQ and negative correlation between the MADRS-BM and SHAPS-M provide initial evidence of MADRS-BM's concurrent validity. After adjusting for age, gender, ethnicity, educational level, and marital status, individuals with depression significantly reported higher MADRS-BM scores than did individuals without depression. Hence, there is additional evidence for concurrent validity of the MADRS-BM. Cut-off score of 4 distinguished individuals with depression from individuals without depression with a sensitivity of 78 % and a specificity of 86 %.


CONCLUSIONS
The MADRS-BM demonstrated promising psychometric properties in terms of dimensionality, reliability, and validity that generally justifies its use in routine clinical practice in Malaysia.
Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Malaya Center for Addiction Sciences (UMCAS), Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. annyee17@um.edu.my.
Anne
A
Yee
Department of Malaysian Languages and Applied Linguistics, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics Building, University of Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. rahimy@um.edu.my.
Abdul Rahim Mat
AR
Yassim
Clinical Academic Unit (Family Medicine), Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia, No. 1, Jalan Sarjana 1, Kota Ilmu, EduCity@Iskandar, 79200, Nusajaya, Johor, Malaysia. loh.huai-seng@newcastle.edu.my.
Huai Seng
HS
Loh
Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Malaya Center for Addiction Sciences (UMCAS), Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. chong_guan@um.edu.my.
Chong Guan
CG
Ng
Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM, 43400, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia. tanka@upm.edu.my.
Kit-Aun
KA
Tan
D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People / Q000523:psychology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008296:Malaysia; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000592:standards*; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D057566:Self Report