Content Validity through Expert Judgment for the Depression Clinical Evaluation Test

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Psychology
• Clinical Assessment

Background:

• Accurate depression evaluation necessitates valid instruments capturing diverse symptoms for precise diagnosis.
• Existing tools may not comprehensively address the spectrum of affective, somatic, cognitive, behavioral, and interpersonal symptoms of depression.

Purpose of the Study:

• To construct the Depression Clinical Evaluation Test (DCET).
• To evaluate the content validity of the DCET using expert judgment.

Main Methods:

• Developed a specification table based on diagnostic classifications.
• Generated 300 items, assessed by 16 experts on content, relevance, clarity, comprehension, sensitivity, and offensiveness.
• Assessed item comprehension with 50 adults.

Main Results:

• High item comprehension was observed.
• Expert review led to the removal of 104 items, resulting in a 196-item test.
• The revised instrument is shorter and easier to apply.

Conclusions:

• The DCET demonstrates adequate content validity.
• The test aligns with established definitions of depression.
• The DCET is a suitable instrument for depression assessment.