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Development and testing of a five-item version of the Geriatric Depression Scale
M T Hoyl1, C A Alessi, J O Harker
1Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Sepulveda, California 91343, USA.
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
|July 15, 1999
Summary
A new 5-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) effectively screens for depression in frail older adults, matching the 15-item version's accuracy but taking less time. This shorter scale offers a quicker, reliable method for identifying depression in this vulnerable population.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Psychiatry
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Depression is prevalent in frail community-dwelling older adults.
- Accurate and efficient screening tools are crucial for this population.
- The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) is a common screening tool, but longer versions may pose challenges in time-sensitive clinical settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a concise 5-item version of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS).
- To assess the effectiveness of the 5-item GDS in screening for depression among frail, community-dwelling older adults.
- To compare the performance of the 5-item GDS against the 15-item GDS and clinical diagnosis.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study was conducted with 74 frail outpatients at a geriatric outpatient clinic.
- A 5-item GDS was derived from the 15-item GDS based on correlation with clinical depression diagnosis.
- Sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, and diagnostic accuracy were calculated for both GDS versions using clinical evaluation as the gold standard.
Main Results:
- The 5-item GDS demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy (90%) compared to the 15-item GDS (88%).
- Key performance metrics for the 5-item GDS included sensitivity of 0.97, specificity of 0.85, and positive predictive value of 0.85.
- Administration time for the 5-item GDS was significantly shorter (0.9 minutes) than the 15-item GDS (2.7 minutes).
Conclusions:
- The 5-item GDS is a valid and effective tool for screening depression in frail older adults.
- It offers comparable accuracy to the 15-item GDS with a substantial reduction in administration time.
- The 5-item GDS may be a preferred screening instrument for depression in clinical practice, pending further validation.