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Association Between Sleep Quality and Cognitive Symptoms in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder

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Published on: April 26, 2024

Beyond Depression: Does the CES-D 8 Capture Subjective Well-Being?

Filip Fors Connolly¹, Tommy Gärling²

¹Umeå University, Sweden.

|May 25, 2025

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D 8) may not effectively distinguish depression from subjective well-being (SWB). Findings suggest the CES-D 8 might measure emotional well-being (EWB) more than depression itself.

Keywords:

CES-D 8 Sweden depressive symptoms emotional well-being measurement subjective well-being validity

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Area of Science:

Psychology
Psychiatry
Sociology

Background:

Distinguishing depression from subjective well-being (SWB) is crucial for accurate assessment.
The 8-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D 8) is widely used but its construct validity concerning SWB requires examination.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate whether the CES-D 8 measures depression as a construct distinct from emotional well-being (EWB) and life satisfaction (LS).
To assess the discriminant validity of the CES-D 8 against SWB components.

Main Methods:

Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was utilized to test discriminant validity.
Data from the Swedish European Social Survey CRONOS-2 panel (N=795) were analyzed.
Associations with health, sociodemographic, and psychological correlates were examined.

Main Results:

Strong correlations (r > .70) were observed between the CES-D 8 depression factor and latent EWB and LS factors.
The CES-D 8 failed Fornell-Larcker tests for discriminant validity against LS and EWB.
Health measures demonstrated similar associations with CES-D 8, EWB, and LS.

Conclusions:

Limited support exists for depression measured by CES-D 8 being a distinct construct from SWB.
The CES-D 8 may primarily capture EWB, necessitating a reconsideration of depression conceptualization and measurement in relation to SWB.
Findings prompt re-evaluation of depression assessment in research and clinical practice concerning SWB.