Objective: Current rating scales for depressive symptom severity in pediatric patients do not meet the needs of contemporary clinical practice and research. This study sought to evaluate relative performance and psychometric properties of the 5-item Brief Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised (BCDRS-R5), as well as the clinician-rated and self-report versions of the 5-item Very Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (VQIDS-A5-C and VQIDS-A5-SR, respectively).
Method: This study examined a sample of 165 outpatients aged 8 to 17 years with major depressive disorder who were treated openly with fluoxetine for 6 weeks from a prior National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)-funded study. We examined the internal consistency, scale dimensionality, relative performance in detecting remission and response, and sensitivity to change of each 5-item scale.
Results: All 3 brief scales had good-to-excellent internal consistency. Cronbach coefficient α values were 0.687 to 0.795 at baseline and 0.766 to 0.844 at week 6. Principal component analysis suggested a 1-factor solution for each scale. The BCDRS-R5 demonstrated a greater degree of accuracy in identifying response and remission compared to the VQIDS-A5-C and VQIDS-A5-SR. The scales were sensitive to change in symptom severity over 6 weeks of acute treatment with fluoxetine.
Conclusion: Three novel, brief scales assessing depressive symptom severity in pediatric patients showed similar performance and sensitivity to change in symptom severity over 6 weeks of acute treatment when compared with longer, standard scales.
Clinical trial registration information: Sequential Treatment of Pediatric MDD to Increase Remission and Prevent Relapse; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT00612313.
Keywords: brief rating scale; major depressive disorder; measurement-based care; psychometric; rating scale.
Plain language summary
Existing assessment tools for depressive symptom severity in children and adolescents have limitations and do not meet the needs of contemporary families, clinical practice, or research efforts. The purpose of the current study, using a sample of youth with depression, was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the 5-item Brief Children's Depression Rating Scale–Revised (BCDRS-R5) as well as the 5-item Very Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology self-report and clinician-rated versions (VQIDS-A5-SR/VQIDS-A5-C), compare their relative performance, and define clinically-relevant depressive symptom severity thresholds for remission. These novel, brief scales had similar performance as longer, standard scales and show promise for future use in clinical practice and research efforts.
© 2024 The Author(s).
Keywords：performance assessment; depression children; psychometric properties; brief assessments; adolescent depression
目标: 当前用于评估儿科患者抑郁症状严重程度的量表无法满足当代临床实践和研究的需求。本研究旨在评估5项简化版儿童抑郁症评定量表-修订版（BCDRS-R5）的相对表现及心理测量特性，以及医生评分版本和自评版本的5项非常快速抑郁症状检查表（VQIDS-A5-C 和 VQIDS-A5-SR）。
方法: 本研究分析了来自一项先前由美国国家精神卫生研究所资助的研究中的一组165名8至17岁患有重度抑郁障碍的门诊患者，这些患者开放性地接受了为期6周的氟西汀治疗。我们评估了每个五项量表的内部一致性、量表维度性、在检测缓解和反应方面的相对表现以及对症状变化的敏感度。
结果: 所有三项简短量表都具有良好的至优秀的内部一致性。基线时Cronbach系数α值为0.687到0.795，第6周时为0.766到0.844。主成分分析表明每个量表都有一个单一因素的解。BCDRS-R5在识别反应和缓解方面比VQIDS-A5-C和VQIDS-A5-SR更准确，并且这些量表对氟西汀急性治疗6周内症状严重程度的变化具有敏感性。
结论: 在为期6周的急性治疗期间，三项评估儿科患者抑郁症状严重程度的新简短量表在性能和对症状严重程度变化的敏感度方面与较长的标准量表相似。
临床试验注册信息: 顺序治疗青少年重度抑郁症以增加缓解率并预防复发；
关键词: 简短评分量表；重度抑郁障碍；基于测量的护理；心理测量；评分量表。
简易语言摘要
现有的评估儿童和青少年抑郁症状严重程度的工具存在局限性，无法满足当代家庭、临床实践或研究工作的需求。本研究使用一组患有抑郁症的年轻人样本，旨在评估5项简化版儿童抑郁症评定量表-修订版（BCDRS-R5）的心理测量特性以及5项非常快速抑郁症状检查表自评和医生评分版本（VQIDS-A5-SR/VQIDS-A5-C），比较它们的相对表现，并定义临床相关的抑郁症状严重程度阈值以达到缓解。这些简短的新量表在性能上与较长的标准量表相似，显示出在未来临床实践和研究工作中使用的潜力。
© 2024 The Author(s).