Abstract

CAMPO, Adalberto; DIAZ, Luis Alfonso  and  RUEDA, Germán Eduardo. Validity of the brief Zung’s scale for screening major depressive episode among the general population from Bucaramanga, Colombia. Biomédica [online]. 2006, vol.26, n.3, pp.415-423. ISSN 0120-4157.

Introduction. Brief scales for identiying depressive disorder are as useful as long scales for screening. However, a validated scale with these characteristics is not avalaible in Colombia. Objective. To design a brief Zung’s self-rating depression scale in order to screen major depressive episodes among adults dwelling in the general community. Materials and methods. After filling-out the 20-item Zung’s self-rating depression scale, the ten items with the higher correlation with total score were selected. Construct and criterion validity were computed for these ten items. Results. The ten chosen items showed an internal consistency of 0,803, one factor that accounted for 36,6% of the variance; sensitivity was 95,5%; specificity, 70,3%; Cohen’s kappa, 0,415; and area under receptor-operator curve, 0,898. Conclusions. The brief Zung’s self-rating depression scale exhibits psychometric properties similar to the long version. This brief scale can be used as a screening device in the general population.

Keywords : validation studies; mass screening; urban population; adult.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )