Preliminary validation of a single self-report question as a screening tool for depression in older adult populations: Analyses using the Minimum Data Set Depression Rating Scale
Abstract
Objectives: The primary objective of this research was to inform the criterion validity of the single self-report depression screening question in the interRAI-Contact Assessment (CA) against the validated Depression Rating Scale (DRS) in the RAI-Home Care (HC) instrument. To achieve this objective, two overarching research questions were addressed: 1) What is the DRS cut-point best suited for the detection of a possible depressed mood state?; and 2) What are the consistencies in the prevalence rates of the CA’s single self-report depression question and the HC’s DRS detection measure? A secondary objective of this research was to explore the relationships of multiple depression-related outcomes with selected possible predictor variables to indirectly aid in the identification of a possible depressed mood state.
Methods: Four datasets were obtained from the interRAI organization to inform this research. Three datasets, which house and concurrently administer both the self-report item and the DRS, were used to determine the best-suited DRS detection threshold through both univariate and bivariate analyses. The validity of the CA’s self-report item was informed through bivariate analyses with the HC’s DRS measure using the phi-correlation and the c statistic from the bivariate logistic regression model. Spearman and point biserial correlations and bivariate logistic regression modeling informed the relationships of the possible predictor variables with the depression-related outcomes.
Results: The DRS one-plus threshold was determined to be the cut-point best-suited for the detection of a possible depressed mood state. Several predictor variables proved statistically significant but were not consistent across the three datasets. The CA’s single question did not evidence a strong association with the HC’s DRS measure.
Conclusions: According to the resulting significance of the predictor variables, the experience and expression of depression across the three explored samples differ; the results from one sample cannot be generalized to explain the experience of the other samples. The DRS one-plus threshold is supported for the detection of a possible depressed mood state. However, the validity of the single self-report question in comparison to the DRS measure cannot be supported with the study’s results. However, due to recognized study limitations, the overall validity of the measure is not conclusive. Future research directions are recommended.
Collections
Cite this version of the work
Colleen M. Dwyer
(2008).
Preliminary validation of a single self-report question as a screening tool for depression in older adult populations: Analyses using the Minimum Data Set Depression Rating Scale. UWSpace.
http://hdl.handle.net/10012/4021
Other formats
Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
The Effect of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Depression Symptoms among Older Adults in China
fang, mingying (University of Waterloo, 2019-07-24)Background Depression is not a normal part of aging. However, it is a serious, growing problem for the elderly population of China, where the world’s largest cohort of people aged 60 and over is growing rapidly. Research ... -
Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis, Cognitive Flexibility, and Depression
Lui, Erika (University of Waterloo, 2016-02-23)Depression is a serious and complex mental health disorder that is becoming increasingly prevalent, and is among the leading causes of global disease burden. Although depression is thought to be primarily an affective ... -
Ending the Stigma: How a Causal Deterministic View of Free Will Can Inform Both Healthy and Pathological Cognitive Function and Increase Compassion
Balaita, Cristina (University of Waterloo, 2014-06-24)Depression is the leading cause of disability around the world, and in Canada, 8% of adults will experience depression in their lifetimes. Nearly half of those with depression will not seek treatment, one of the major ...