A Reliability Generalization Study of the Geriatric Depression Scale

Abstract

Depression has proven to be a serious illness in older adults that often goes untreated because it is frequently misdiagnosed or is confused with other symptom patterns. One instrument that has been consistently cited in the literature as an effective indicator of depression in older adults is the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). The present study provided a reliability generalization (RG) study of the GDS in an effort to further distill psychometric properties of the scores generated by this measure. RG, a relatively new meta-analytic reliability procedure, was used to (a) identify the typical reliability of GDS scores across studies and (b) examine sources of measurement error across studies. Results from this investigation of 338 previously published research studies indicated that the average score reliability across studies was .8482 ( SD = .0870) and that the number of items on the scale, scale SD, sample size, and participant population were the most important predictors of score reliability on this measure. Implications for the use of the GDS are offered.

Factor Structure of the Geriatric Depression Scale and Relationships with Cognition and Function in Alzheimer’s Disease

“…The GDS also eliminated questions regarding somatic symptoms due to the fact that comorbid medical conditions or normal aging may be responsible for somatic complaints in a geriatric population [28]. With these purposeful changes, the GDS has been shown to be reliable, sensitive, and specific, even in the presence of mild-to-moderate cognitive impairment [34][35][36][37]. The purposeful design and demonstrated reliability, internal consistency [28,33,35], and validity [38][39][40] of the GDS have helped it to gain prominence in clinical practice and gerontology research [41].…”

“…With these purposeful changes, the GDS has been shown to be reliable, sensitive, and specific, even in the presence of mild-to-moderate cognitive impairment [34][35][36][37]. The purposeful design and demonstrated reliability, internal consistency [28,33,35], and validity [38][39][40] of the GDS have helped it to gain prominence in clinical practice and gerontology research [41]. Given the popularity of the GDS in research and clinical practice, the present study sought to determine whether the GDS could be used to identify both apathy and depression in patients with probable AD.…”

A Reliability Generalization Study of Coefficient Alpha for the Life Orientation Test

“…However, RG studies tend to include sample size as an independent variable rather than an effect size weight. A number of RG studies (e.g., Keiffer & Reese, 2002) have found a relationship between score reliability and sample size. One limitation of meta-analyses is the file drawer issue, a collection of unpublished studies that may have an effect on overall results if they could be included.…”

Risk Factors Associated With Depression And Anxiety In Older Adults Of Mexican Origin

“…Depression affects 2 million Americans over the age of 65 (Kieffer & Reese, 2002), especially those residing in nursing homes (12 to 18%)(E. D. Jones & Beck-Little, 2002). Depression in older adults contributes to increased mortality and negatively affects their overall well-being and daily functioning (Kieffer & Reese, 2002).…”

“…Depression in older adults contributes to increased mortality and negatively affects their overall well-being and daily functioning (Kieffer & Reese, 2002). Anxiety is also common in later life; it has been linked to a physical disability, self-reported increased health complications, and reduced quality of life, as well as frequent access to medical specialists and benzodiazepine medications (Le Roux, Gatz, & Wetherell, 2005).…”