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Reliability and Validity of Two Self-Rating Scales in the Assessment of Childhood Depression

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 August 2018

T. Fundudis*
Affiliation:
The Fleming Nuffield Unit, Burdon Terrace, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE2 3AE
T. P. Berney
Affiliation:
The Fleming Nuffield Unit, Burdon Terrace, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE2 3AE
I. Kolvin
Affiliation:
Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine and the Tavistock Clinic, 120 Belsize Lane, London NW3 5BA
O. O. Famuyiwa
Affiliation:
The Fleming Nuffield Unit, Burdon Terrace, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE2 3AE
L. Barrett
Affiliation:
Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Gateshead, Tyne & Wear
S. Bhate
Affiliation:
Sir Martin Roth Young People's Unit, Newcastle General Hospital, Westgate Road, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE4 6BE
S. P. Tyrer
Affiliation:
Royal Victoria Infirmary, Queen Victoria Road, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 4LP
*
Correspondence

Abstract

A comparison was made of the reliability and validity of two self-rating scales, the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) and Depression Self-Rating Scale (DSRS), in the diagnosis of depression in 93 children (aged 8–16 years) attending a university child psychiatry department. The two scales were of comparable merit but had only moderate discrimination between depressed and non-depressed children, with each scale having a misclassification rate of 25%. Better agreement was obtained in more verbally intelligent children, irrespective of age. Girls scored higher on the instruments than boys. No significant relationship was found between teacher assessment of classroom behaviour and the two self-rating depression instruments.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1991 

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