Psychometric properties of the Cardiac Depression Scale: a systematic review

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Psychiatry
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Depression is prevalent in cardiac patients, impacting quality of life, treatment adherence, and prognosis.
• The Cardiac Depression Scale (CDS) is the sole instrument developed for assessing depression specifically in cardiac populations.
• This systematic review focuses on the psychometric properties of the CDS for depression screening in coronary heart disease (CHD) patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the psychometric properties of the Cardiac Depression Scale (CDS).
• To evaluate the reliability, validity, and diagnostic accuracy of the CDS for depression screening in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD).

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature search was conducted across multiple databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL Plus, PsycINFO, Scopus, Web of Science) using the search term "Cardiac Depression Scale."
• Eligible studies included those assessing the reliability, validity, or diagnostic accuracy of the CDS in CHD patients.
• Methodological quality of the included studies was evaluated using QUADAS-2 and STARD criteria.

Main Results:

• Most studies focused on the reliability and validity of the CDS.
• Three studies examined construct validity via factor analysis; six compared CDS validity with other depression measures; four assessed diagnostic accuracy.
• Some studies utilized overlapping samples, potentially limiting the confidence in their findings.

Conclusions:

• The Cardiac Depression Scale (CDS) demonstrates psychometric soundness.
• The CDS is an effective measurement instrument for identifying mild, moderate, and severe depression in cardiac populations.