Validity of the GDS-4 revisited

Psychol Health Med. 2008 Oct;13(5):621-6. doi: 10.1080/13548500801932402.

Abstract

This article points out several flaws in an earlier article (Chau, Martin, Thompson, Chang, & Woo, 2006). We note that Chau, Martin, Thompson, Chang, and Woo (2006) had misquoted our work on a 4-item version of the geriatric depression scale (GDS), and the work of the research team, which developed the original 30-item and 15-item versions of the scale. Furthermore, their data analytic methods were flawed, and their conclusions were often not supported by the data they presented. On the basis of these observations, we found no evidence against the use of the 4-item version of the GDS.

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Asian People
  • Depression / diagnosis*
  • Depression / psychology
  • Hong Kong
  • Humans
  • Psychometrics
  • Reproducibility of Results*
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Surveys and Questionnaires / standards*