Psychometric evaluation of a screening question for persistent depressive disorder

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology
• Mental Health Screening

Background:

• Persistent Depressive Disorder (PDD) affects approximately 20% of depression patients, representing a significant clinical burden.
• Currently, no validated screening instrument exists for PDM, hindering early identification and intervention.
• The Persistent Depressive Disorder Screener (PDS) was developed as a concise screening tool for DSM-5 PDD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the validity and reliability of the newly developed Persistent Depressive Disorder Screener (PDS) for identifying DSM-5 PDD.
• To assess the PDS's performance characteristics, including sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values.

Main Methods:

• The PDS, a single-item screener, was administered to 90 inpatient/day clinic patients diagnosed with depression.
• Participants also underwent a structured clinical interview to assess for DSM-5 PDD criteria.
• Retest reliability was assessed in a subset of 69 patients after two weeks.

Main Results:

• The prevalence of PDD in the study sample was 64%.
• The PDS demonstrated a sensitivity of 85% and a positive predictive value of 80%, with a specificity of 63%.
• Moderate agreement was found between the PDS and clinical diagnosis (Cohen's Kappa = .48), and retest reliability was also moderate (Cohen's Kappa = .52).

Conclusions:

• The Persistent Depressive Disorder Screener (PDS) shows potential as a valid and reliable tool for detecting PDD when used after a general depression self-assessment.
• Confirmation of PDS results through a formal diagnostic interview is essential for accurate PDD diagnosis.