Chilean experimental version of the State-Trait Depression Questionnaire (ST-DEP): State subscale (S-DEP)

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry and Mental Health
• Psychological Assessment
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Depression is a significant public health concern in Chile.
• Existing measures for state depression require validation within the Chilean population.
• The State-Trait Depression Questionnaire (ST-DEP) is an important tool for assessing depressive symptoms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the validity and reliability of the State subscale (S-DEP) of the Chilean experimental version of the ST-DEP.
• To confirm the factor structure, internal consistency, and concurrent validity of the S-DEP.
• To provide clinicians and researchers in Chile with a validated instrument for measuring state depression.

Main Methods:

• Replication of the original questionnaire's procedure on a sample of 300 Chilean university students.
• Utilized measures included the State Depression Questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory, and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory.
• Inclusion of vignettes representing neutral, mild, and moderate depressive scenarios to assess discriminant validity.

Main Results:

• The factor structure of the S-DEP was found to be replicable in the Chilean sample.
• The internal consistency of the S-DEP was demonstrated to be good.
• The scale effectively distinguished between different intensities of depression, with vignettes ranked as expected.

Conclusions:

• The State subscale (S-DEP) of the ST-DEP is a valid and reliable measure for assessing state depression in Chilean university students.
• This validated instrument offers a valuable new resource for mental health professionals and researchers in Chile.
• The findings support the use of the S-DEP for clinical assessment and research on depression in this population.