The Performance of the Center for Epidemiologic Study Depression Scale (Ces-D) in an Arab Female Community

• Published in: International journal of social psychiatry Vol. 46; no. 4; pp. 241 - 249
• Main Authors: Ghubash, Rafia, Daradkeh, Tewfik K., Al Naseri, Khawla S., Al Bloushi, Nadia Bin A., Al Daheri, Alia M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Thousand Oaks, CA SAGE Publications 2000; Sage; Avenue Pub. Co; Sage Publications Ltd
• Subjects: Adult; Arab people; Arabic language; Arabic version; Arabs; Arabs - psychology; Biological and medical sciences; Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale; Clinical psychology; Cross-Cultural Comparison; Depression; Depressive Disorder - diagnosis; Depressive Disorder - ethnology; Female; Gender; Health care; Humans; Medical sciences; Mental depression; Mental health; Mental illness; Personality Inventory - statistics & numerical data; Psychological tests; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychometrics; Psychometrics. Diagnostic aid systems; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Reproducibility of Results; Social psychiatry; Techniques and methods; Testing; Tropical medicine; United Arab Emirates; Women; Women's health; Young women; Asia; United Emirates; United Arab Emirates; Human; Mood disorder; Social environment; Foreign language version; Factor analysis; Questionnaire; Discriminant validity; Prediction; Depression; Psychometrics; Medical screening; Test reliability; Intertrial interval; Test validation; Construct validity; Arabic; Follow up study; Young adult; Receiver operating characteristic curves; Female; Test scoring; Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale Radloff
• ISSN: 0020-7640; 1741-2854
• DOI: 10.1177/002076400004600402

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Arabic version of the CES-D. Methods : Three samples of young Arab females were chosen from different young female populations (n=450). The translated version of the CES-D, socio- demographic and risk factors questionnaires were applied to the above three samples. A subsample was selected (n = 30) to re-rate the scale items and the same sample was interviewed by the SCID. The internal consistency and test- re-test reliability were estimated as well as the factor structure of the Arabic CES-D. The discriminative and criterion validity of the scale was also investigated using the ROC analysis. Results: Seventy five percent (n = 350) of the subjects completed the scale. Alpha coefficient was found to be 0.88 and the split-half reliability was 0.83. The average re-test reliability (ICC = 0.59). Factor analysis yielded three factors: interpersonal problems, mixed affective/somatic factor and the positive affect factor. There was significant differences in mean total score between depressed and non-depressed subjects as classified by SCID as well as by self-perception of depression and the need for treatment. ROC analysis revealed that a cut-off point of 21 discrimi nated best between depressed and non-depressed subjects (sensitivity= 82%, specificity = 83% with AUC of 84%). Conclusion: The Arabic CES-D was found to possess reasonable reliability and reasonable discriminative and criterion validity.