Comparing the Performance of the HADS and the GDS-15 in the AIBL Study

Abstract

Screening measures such as the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) (Sheikh and Yesavage, 1986) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) (Zigmond and Snaith, 1983) are important tools in the recognition of depressive symptoms in older people. While these measures are widely used, there is evidence of specific weaknesses in some cohorts and contexts, with the GDS-15 showing limitations in the context of cognitive impairment (Gilley and Wilson, 1997), and the depression subscale of the HADS (HADS-D) losing sensitivity in the context of older participants in hospital inpatient settings (Davies et al., 1993).

Immersive virtual reality as support for the mental health of elderly women: a randomized controlled trial

“…This finding was supported by the results for the secondary outcome measure (HADS-D) but with a smaller effect size ( η p 2 = 0.06). Importantly, due to the fact that these two outcomes differ in sensitivity and question focus, this confirms the reliability of the achieved effectiveness (Campbell et al 2015 ). Moreover, both outcomes improved in the control group, confirming the effectiveness of the control intervention.…”

Caregiver burden: An increasing problem related to an aging cancer population

“…summed and ranged from 0 to 15 and the participant was categorized as having depressive complaints with a score of 5 or higher (Campbell et al, 2015;Greenberg, 2007Greenberg, , 2012Wancata et al, 2006). When evaluated against diagnostic criteria of clinical depression (AGE-CAT and several DSM versions), the GDS-15 appeared to have 64-98 per cent specificity and 69-92 per cent sensitivity (Mitchell et al, 2010).…”

“…The same version and procedure were used in both the caregiver and the patient questionnaires (Campbell et al, 2015;Covinsky et al, 2003;Greenberg, 2007Greenberg, , 2012Wancata et al, 2006).…”