Criterion Validity of the "HRQOLISP-E": A New Context-Specific Screening Tool for Poststroke Depression

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Neurology
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Post-stroke depression (PSD) significantly impacts patient recovery and quality of life.
• Optimal screening tools for PSD are still under investigation.
• The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS-D) is a common criterion for depression assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the psychometric properties of the HRQOLISP-E, a novel screening tool for PSD.
• To compare the HRQOLISP-E against the HADS-D in a stroke survivor population.

Main Methods:

• The study utilized baseline data from 387 recent stroke survivors.
• Depression was assessed using both the HADS-D and the HRQOLISP-E.
• Sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratios, AUC, and optimal cut-off for HRQOLISP-E were determined.

Main Results:

• The HRQOLISP-E showed high agreement with the HADS-D (sensitivity 73.7%, specificity 79.3%).
• The Area Under the Curve (AUC) was 0.81, indicating good diagnostic accuracy.
• An HRQOLISP-E cut-off score of 20/21 (out of 30) corresponded to a HADS-D score of ≥8.

Conclusions:

• The HRQOLISP-E demonstrates strong psychometric properties for screening PSD.
• These findings support the further development of HRQOLISP-E as a stroke-specific depression screening tool.
• The HADS-D served as a reliable referent criterion in this study.