A Validity and Reliability Study of the Japanese Version of the Geriatric Depression Scale 15 (GDS-15-J)

• Published in: Clinical gerontologist 2017-08, Vol.40 (4), p.233-240
• Main Authors: Sugishita, Kazuyuki, Sugishita, Morihiro, Hemmi, Isao, Asada, Takashi, Tanigawa, Takeshi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Clinical assessment; Cronbach's alpha; Depression; Depression - classification; Depression - diagnosis; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; Factor analysis; Factor Analysis, Statistical; Female; Geriatric Assessment - methods; Geriatric Depression Scale; Geriatric Psychiatry - classification; Geriatrics; Humans; Japan - epidemiology; Japanese language; Male; Mass Screening - instrumentation; Medical screening; Mental depression; Mental disorders; Middle Aged; Older people; optimal cutoff point; Outpatients; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales - standards; Psychometrics; Quantitative psychology; Receiver operating characteristic analysis; Reliability; Reproducibility of Results; Validity
• ISSN: 0731-7115; 1545-2301
• DOI: 10.1080/07317115.2016.1199452

Objective: The 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) is one of the most widely used screening instruments for depression among the elderly. The aim of this study was to examine the validity and reliability of the Japanese version of the GDS-15 (GDS-15-J) in comparison with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) criteria for depression. Methods: The study participants were 128 elderly outpatients (age range, 55 to 92 years) categorized into two groups (76 non-depressive patients, 52 depressive patients) based on the DSM-IV-TR criteria for depression. Results: Logistic regression analysis showed that regardless of age and sex, the GDS-15-J score could be used to screen patients for depression (p