Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 30, 2026
Qualitative and Quantitative Validation of Tools with Rating Scales Aimed at Assessing the Quality of University Service-Learning
Published on: August 29, 2025
[Criterion Validity of the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale in the Austrian Population]
Josef S Baumgartner1, Rebecca Jahn1, Fabian Friedrich1
1Universitätsklinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Klinische Abteilung für Sozialpsychiatrie, Medizinische Universität Wien.
Objective:
The "Geriatric Depression Scale" consisting of 15 items (GDS-15) is a well-known screening tool for depression among the elderly. Until now the criterion validity of the German language GDS-15 was not investigated in a sample of the adult general population.
Methods:
504 persons of the Austrian general population completed the GDS-15. Using the Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN) ICD-10 diagnoses were established. Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) analysis was conducted. Possible gender and age differences were explored.
Results:
The overall discrimination of the GDS-15 was sufficient (ROC-AUC 0,851). The cut-off value developed on the basis of our sample was 2/3 with a sensitivity of 71.8 % und a specificity of 82.8 %. We could not find significant gender or age group differences.
Conclusion:
This is the first study investigating the criterion validity of the German language GDS-15 in the adult general population. The sensitivity and specificity are sufficient and comparable with the findings among other screening tools.
Related Concept Videos
01:05Long-term Depression
01:15Routh-Hurwitz Criterion I
To apply the Routh-Hurwitz criterion, a Routh table is constructed. The table's rows are labeled with powers of the complex frequency variable s, starting from the...
01:19Routh-Hurwitz Criterion II
The first scenario occurs when a singular zero appears in the first column of the Routh table. This situation creates a division by zero issues. To resolve this, a small positive or negative number, denoted as epsilon (∈), is substituted for the zero. The stability analysis proceeds by assuming a sign for ∈. If ∈ is positive, any sign change in the first...
01:29Reliability and Validity
03:12Freezing Point Depression and Boiling Point Elevation
The boiling point of a liquid is the temperature at which its vapor pressure is equal to ambient atmospheric pressure. Since the vapor pressure of a solution is lowered due to the presence of nonvolatile solutes, it stands to reason that the solution’s boiling point will subsequently be increased. Vapor pressure increases with temperature, and so a solution will require a higher temperature than will pure solvent to achieve any given vapor pressure, including one...
01:28Depressants
Alcohol is a common depressant that can induce a sense of relaxation and reduced inhibition at low doses. Contrary to its occasional...