A correlation between the Geriatric Depression Scale long and short forms

A sample of 81 elderly subjects (M age = 76 years) volunteered to take part in a study to determine whether the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) Short Form is an acceptable substitute for the GDS Long Form. Half of the subjects took the GDS Long Form first, and half took the GDS Short Form first. After two weeks, the subjects were given the remaining form. Although the mean scores were lower than in previous correlation studies, the results indicated that the GDS Short Form correlated significantly (r = +.66, p less than .01) with the GDS Long Form, but not highly enough to be considered an appropriate substitute.