Content validation of the depressive symptom assessment for older adults

The goal of this study was to evaluate the content validity of the Depressive Symptom Assessment for Older Adults (DSA), an interviewer-rated instrument designed to comprehensively measure depression in older adults regardless of their cognitive status. Seniors who were not currently depressed but had been either previously depressed or had an older adult family member who was depressed (n = 7) served as content validation experts for this two phased study. In Phase 1 of the content validation process, 19 of the questions had 100% agreement, 20 of the questions had 86% agreement, 13 of the questions had 71% agreement, 5 of the questions had 57% agreement, and 2 of the questions had 43% agreement. In Phase 2 of the content validation process, 42 of the questions had 100% agreement, 11 of the questions had 86% agreement, and 1 of the questions had 71% agreement. The DSA provides mental health nurses with a comprehensive instrument to assess older adults for depression.