Oral versus written administration of the Geriatric Depression Scale

Forty-four female nursing home residents completed the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) twice, using both oral and written administration formats. Presentation was counterbalanced. The Mini-Mental State Exam and the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale were administered to each participant between the GDS administrations. All testing was completed within one session. Test-retest reliability analysis revealed a significant correlation between oral and written administrations for higher cognitive functioning participants, but no correlation for impaired participants. Therefore, the use of the GDS in a cognitively impaired elderly population is questioned. Additionally, oral versus written administration formats were found to be not equivalent in the higher functioning group.