title: The psychometric validity of the Center for Epidemiological Studies - Depression Scale (CES-D) in first episode schizophrenia spectrum.
abstract: Depressive pathology is common in first-episode schizophrenia spectrum disorders (FES), and is frequently assessed using the Center for Epidemiological Studies - Depression Scale (CES-D), an instrument designed for use in community samples. Despite its widespread use, no prior study has examined the psychometric validity of the CES-D in assessing depressive pathology in FES. The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric validity of the CES-D in FES. This study involved secondary analysis of baseline data from a single blind, randomized controlled trial of vocational intervention for individuals with FES (N=91; age range: 15-25 years). Measures used were: CES-D, Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS), and Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR (SCID-I/P). The CES-D strongly correlated with the depression subscale of the BPRS, and with the presence of full-threshold depressive disorder on the SCID-I/P. There was minimal overlap between the CES-D and SANS, with weak correlations emerging for avolition and anhedonia, and not for affective flattening, alogia, and attention. The CES-D cut-off of ≥23 produced high sensitivity and specificity values for determining full-threshold comorbid depressive disorder. Such findings indicate that the CES-D is effective for assessing and measuring depressive pathology in FES.
authors.affiliation: Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Australia; Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Australia; Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Australia. Electronic address: sarah.herniman@unimelb.edu.au.
authors.forename: Sarah E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Herniman
authors.affiliation: Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Australia; Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Kelly A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Allott
authors.affiliation: Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Australia; Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Eóin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Killackey
authors.affiliation: Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hester
authors.affiliation: Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Australia; Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Sue M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Cotton
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D010054:Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale / Q000592:standards*; D015897:Comorbidity; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Affective disorders; Depression; Early intervention; Psychoses; Schizophrenia