Validation of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale among Korean Adolescents

Abstract

Objective The Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) is designed to measure the current level of depressive symptomatology in the general population. However, no review has examined whether the scale is reliable and valid among children and adolescents in Korea. The purpose of this study was to test whether the Korean form of the CES-D is valid in adolescents. Methods Data were obtained from 1,884 adolescents attending grades 1–3 in Korean middle schools. Reliability was evaluated by internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha). Concurrent validity was evaluated by a correlation analysis between the CES-D and other scales. Construct validity was evaluated by exploratory factor and confirmatory factor analyses. Results The internal consistency coefficient for the entire group was 0.88. The CES-D was positively correlated with scales that measure negative psychological constructs, such as the State Anxiety Inventory for Children, the Korean Social Anxiety Scale for Children and Adolescents, and the Reynold Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire, but it was negatively correlated with scales that measure positive psychological constructs, such as the Korean version of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale-2. The CES-D was examined by three-dimensional exploratory factor analysis, and the three-factor structure of the scale explained 53.165% of the total variance. The variance explained by factor I was 24.836%, that explained by factor II was 15.988%, and that explained by factor III was 12.341%. The construct validity of the CES-D was tested by confirmatory factor analysis, and we applied the entire group’s data using a three-factor hierarchical model. The fit index showed a level similar to those of other countries’ adolescent samples. Conclusion The CES-D has high internal consistency and addresses psychological constructs similar to those addressed by other scales. The CES-D showed a three-factor structure in an exploratory factor analysis. The present findings suggest that the CES-D is a useful and reliable tool for measuring depression in Korean adolescents.

Reliability and Validity of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale for Adolescents in Lao PDR

“…In addition, the Laotian adolescent samples did not distinguish "Unfriendly" and "Dislike" as "Interpersonal." These results supported the findings of previous studies with samples of Filipino American adolescents (Edman et al, 1999), Taiwanese adolescents (Cheng, Yen, Ko, & Yen, 2012), Mainland Chinese adolescents (Wang et al, 2013), Malaysian adolescents (Ghazali, Elklit, Balang, & Chen, 2016), and Korean adolescents (Heo, Choi, Yu, & Nam, 2018). These previous studies could not distinguish the "Depressed affect" and "Somatic and retarded activity" items from the interpersonal items.…”

“…As for the second point, the lack of distinction between "Depressed affect" items and "Somatic and retarded activity" items is congruent with the findings reported in several previous studies with adolescent samples in Asia (Edman et al, 1999;Ghazali, Elklit, Balang, & Chen, 2016;Heo, Choi, Yu, & Nam, 2018;Yen, Robins, & Lin, 2000;Ying et al, 2000). In addition, the Laotian adolescent samples did not distinguish "Unfriendly" and "Dislike" as "Interpersonal."…”

“…For example, research on factor analysis with Filipino American adolescent samples reported two-factor solutions (Edman et al, 1999). However, studies on Native American Indian adolescents (Dick, Beals, Keane, & Manson, 1994), Chinese American adolescents (Yen, Robins, & Lin, 2000), mainland Chinese adolescents (Wang et al, 2013), Malaysian adolescents (Ghazali, Elklit, Balang, & Chen, 2016), and Chinese and Korean adolescents (Heo, Choi, Yu, & Nam, 2018) have reported three-factor solutions. Four-factor solutions were found in studies with Anglo-American and Mexican American youths (Crockett et al, 2005), young Chinese children (Li, Chung, & Ho, 2010), and Taiwanese adolescents (Cheng, Yen, Ko, & Yen, 2012).…”

Resilience as a mediator of interpersonal relations and depression amongst 10th to 12th grade students

“…The total score ranges from 0 to 60, and a higher score indicates a higher level of depression. Reliability and validity for the adolescents were proved to be significant in previous Asian studies (Chin, Choi, Chan, & Wong, 2015;Heo, Choi, Yu, & Nam, 2018;Wang et al, 2013;Yang et al, 2004). The cut-off point for depression is 23 for boys and 26 for girls, based on a study conducted on 2440 students aged 12 to 16 years in Taipei, Taiwan (Yang et al, 2004), although different cut-off scores are reported in different languages and different cultures.…”

Factors on the Pathway from Trauma to Suicidal Ideation in Adolescents

“…Higher total scores reflect higher levels of depressive symptoms. The Korean version of the CES-D has been standardized and showed good validity and internal consistency in samples of depressed individuals (Cronbach's alpha= 0.90) [19] and community-dwelling adolescents (Cronbach's alpha=0.88) [20].…”