The Children's Depression Rating Scale for normal and depressed outpatients
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The Children's Depression Rating Scale (CDRS) needs updated norms for outpatient children. Scores between 16-18 may indicate well-adjusted children, not depression, requiring re-evaluation of the scale's outpatient benchmarks.
Area of Science:
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- Pediatric Mental Health
- Psychometric Evaluation
Background:
- The Children's Depression Rating Scale (CDRS) was developed in 1979 for diagnosing depression in children aged 6-12.
- Original CDRS guidelines suggest scores ≥30 indicate significant depression and 20-30 suggest borderline depression.
- Established normative outpatient data for the CDRS are currently lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish normative outpatient data for the Children's Depression Rating Scale (CDRS).
- To evaluate the CDRS's diagnostic accuracy in a pediatric primary care setting.
- To redefine score interpretation for outpatient children based on new findings.
Main Methods:
- The CDRS was administered to 25 apparently well-adjusted children in a pediatric primary care unit.
- Scores from these children were compared to the scale's original inpatient-based norms.
- A small group of clinically depressed children (n=6) were also assessed using the CDRS.
Main Results:
- Well-adjusted outpatient children scored significantly lower (16-18) on the CDRS than original norms suggested.
- Clinically depressed children in this study scored between 22-49.
- The findings indicate a potential need to adjust the CDRS's interpretation for outpatient populations.
Conclusions:
- The original CDRS norms may not accurately reflect depression levels in outpatient pediatric populations.
- An outpatient score greater than 20 on the CDRS may warrant close follow-up for potential depression.
- Further research is needed to validate revised CDRS scoring for outpatient children.
Abstract:
The Children's Depression Rating Scale (CDRS) was devised by Poznanski, Cook, and Carroll in 1979, to diagnose depression in 6- to 12-year-olds. The authors state a score of 30 indicates significant depression, with scores in the 20 to 30 range indicating borderline depression. Normative outpatient data for the CDRS have not, however, been established. In this study, 25 apparently well-adjusted children from a pediatric primary care unit were evaluated by the CDRS. Their scores (ranging from 16 to 18) differed significantly from the normal values noted by the founders of the scale, based on the study of inpatients. On the other hand, a study of six of our clinically depressed children indicated scores of 22 to 49. With this definition of the normal score the outpatient child who scores greater than 20 is classified as in need of close follow up to determine if he is depressed.