Does the Geriatric Depression Scale measure depression in Parkinson's disease?

Abstract

Background The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) is recommended for screening depression in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). Empirical evidence, however, is limited regarding its validity and factor structure in PD. Thus, the current study sought to evaluate the convergent and divergent validity of the GDS, as well as the structure and validity of the derived factors. Method Nondemented individuals with PD (n = 158) completed the GDS‐30, and items were subjected to a principle component analysis. Geriatric Depression Scale total and factor scores were correlated with depression items from the Movement Disorder Society Unified Parkinson's disease Rating Scale (MDS‐UPDRSd) and Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMDd), as well as with the Apathy Scale (AS), State‐Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS), Parkinson's disease Sleep Scale, and a Subjective Cognitive Function composite score. Results The GDS total score was strongly correlated with divergent neuropsychiatric measures (AS, r = 0.57; STAI, r = 0.66; MFIS, r = 0.60), while only moderately correlated with convergent measures (MDS‐UPDRSd, r = 0.36; HAMDd, r = 0.32; Ps < 0.05). Linear regression analyses revealed standardized measures of anxiety, apathy, and fatigue independently predicted the GDS total score, while depression items (MDS‐UPDRSd and HAMDd) failed to reach significance. Three independent factors were identified: Anxiety, Apathy, and Fatigue. These factors were significantly predicted by their respective convergent measures. Conclusions Taken together, our findings suggest that the GDS and its subscales appear to primarily measure anxiety, apathy, and fatigue in PD, or alternatively, these symptom dimensions may be predominant in PD‐depression. Future research with clinically diagnosed samples is needed to confirm these initial findings.

Vietnamese Version of the Geriatric Depression Scale (30 Items): Translation, Cross-Cultural Adaptation, and Validation

“…The results showed that this scale could be a reliable screening tool for geriatric depression in Vietnam. Our findings are consistent with previous studies that have demonstrated that this scale can be used effectively to screen for depression in the elderly in many countries worldwide with different versions of the number of items [31,32].…”

The 3-Item “Apathy” Subscale Within the GDS-15 Is Not Supported in De Novo Parkinson’s Disease Patients: Analysis of the PPMI Cohort

“…A recent study by Lopez and colleagues 37 investigated whether the 30-item GDS in fact measures depression in non-demented individuals with PD. Convergent validity was moderate between the GDS total score and other individual depression items (MDS-UPDRS depression item, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale depression item) and there was poor divergence with other mood measures (Apathy Scale, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, modified Fatigue Impact Scale).…”

Longitudinal Risk Factors For Developing Depression in Parkinson’s Disease

“…The most significant was the difference in depression-specific scales; the GDSS was used in PPMI while the HDRS was used in PDBP. Prior studies have raised concerns about there only being a moderate correlation between the GDSS and HDRS [29], however other analyses of the two scales have found they both exhibit good sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of depression in PD [24]. The presence of pRBD was also assessed with different methods, however both have been found to have good sensitivity and specificity for screening purposes [30].…”