The Children's Depression Scale: assessment of factor structure with data from a normal adolescent population

This study investigated the reliability and construct validity of the Children's Depression Scale. Data were gathered from an Australian sample of male and female students with a mean age of 14.9 years (N = 202). Factor analysis using principal components was conducted to develop a revised version of the scale. Four factors met the stipulated criteria and accounted for 54% of the variance. The revised subscales, three with five items and one with four items, were shown to have strong construct and face validity and high reliability. Further work on this measure is necessary to refine it for future research.