Validation of the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 to screen for depression in Canadian Armed Forces personnel

Post-deployment screening within the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) aims to capture those with mental health issues so that appropriate and timely treatment can be provided. However, the process is lengthy and places considerable burden on CAF members and clinicians. Evaluation of shorter measures of mental health is an important step toward reducing the length of the process while still capturing those in need of care. This study evaluated the 2-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2) as a potential brief measure of depression to be included in screening. Operating characteristics of the PHQ-2 were assessed against the full scale using existing recommended cutoffs, as well as clinician impressions of depression being of major concern. Correlations of the PHQ-2 with other measures of health were also examined. The PHQ-2 demonstrated good sensitivity and specificity for detecting depression compared to the full scale and to clinician impressions, at cutoffs similar to those found in past research. As well, it exhibited high correlations with other measures of mental health. This study provides evidence for the validity of the PHQ-2 as a brief screening tool for depression in CAF members following deployment.