Validation of depression measures in adolescent populations

Four measures of depression were administered to a normative sample (n = 44) and two psychiatric groups of adolescents (n = 40). Measures included the Adolescent Activity Checklist (AAC), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire (ATQ), and Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale (DAS). Only the BDI and ATQ were able to discriminate among the three populations. The DAS and frequency of unpleasant activity (FRUA) subscales of the AAC only differentiated between nondepressed and depressed psychiatric subjects. Adolescent behavioral activity related to depression differed from adults with only mixed support found for cognitive depression among adolescents.