Comparative analysis of pediatric depression measures in clinical sample: evaluation of the PROMIS pediatric...

Examine the psychometric properties of the PROMIS Depression Short From 2.0 (PROMIS-D-SF), Caregiver and Youth Report in comparison with a legacy measure of depression, the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire, using a clinical sample.

Participants were 233 youth and caregivers referred to a behavioral health clinic by their pediatrician. Participants and their caregivers completed PROMIS-D-SF (youth and caregiver proxy), Short Mood and Feelings (SMFQ) (youth and caregiver proxy), and Semi-structured Interview. Descriptive, correlational, psychometric, receiver operating characteristic (ROC), and exploratory factor analysis were conducted for both measures.

PROMISD-SF youth and caregiver correlations with the youth and caregiver SMFQ were 0.73 and 0.68 and had Area Under the Curve (AUCs) values ranging from 0.7 to 0.77 for the detection of a depression diagnosis. The PROMIS-D-SF youth measure had favorable test re-test reliability and the factor structure of the PROMIS measure correlated with each factor of the legacy SMFQ measure.

The PROMIS-D-SF demonstrated strong psychometric properties, correlated significantly with the SMFQ, and showed acceptable diagnostic accuracy for depression. This measure appears to be favorable for use in evidence-based assessment, including depression screening and progress monitoring.