Psychometric validation of two versions of the adolescent Depression Self-Rating Scale (DSRS-A and DSRS-A Screener).

Aim: Examination of psychometric properties and diagnostic accuracy of the Depression Self-Rating Scale for Adolescents (DSRS-A) as well as development and evaluations of a shorter version, DSRS-A-Screener.

Methods: Analyses of component structure and internal consistency were performed in a community-based sample of adolescents  = 4,506 and among consecutive outpatients from three child psychiatric settings in Sweden ( = 137). Concurrent validity was measured as a correlation between a summation index of the scale items and the total major depressive disorder (MDD) symptom severity score from the Kiddie Schedule of Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (K-SADS). Diagnostic accuracy was examined in the clinical sample, with the K-SADS interview as the reference test, by receiver operating characteristic analysis (ROC), calculations of sensitivity, specificity among other measures. With the purpose to select items for a shorter scale, associations between scale items and MDD were examined with binary logistic regression. This shorter scale was thereafter examined similarly.

Results: Based on association with MDD, five items were selected for the brief DSRS-A Screener that showed one component structure, internal consistency Cronbach's alpha .80 and.82, respectively. In the clinical population concurrent validity was Spearman's rho .63 and ROC analysis showed AUC .84 (95% CI .78-.91;  < .001). The optimal cut-off for screening was 2 with sensitivity .85 and specificity of .64.

Conclusion: The DSRS-A Screener compared to the original scale, maintained or improved reliability, validity, and showed moderate diagnostic accuracy.