Screening for major depression in Asian-Americans: a comparison of the Beck and the Chinese Depression Inventory

• Published in: Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica Vol. 105; no. 4; pp. 252 - 257
• Main Authors: Yeung, A., Neault, N., Sonawalla, S., Howarth, S., Fava, M., Nierenberg, A. A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford UK Blackwell Publishers 01-04-2002; Blackwell
• Subjects: Asian Americans - psychology; Asian-Americans; Biological and medical sciences; Boston - epidemiology; China - ethnology; depression; Depressive Disorder - epidemiology; Depressive Disorder - psychology; Humans; Mass Screening; Medical sciences; primary health care; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychometrics. Diagnostic aid systems; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Techniques and methods; United States; North America; America; China; Boston; Mood disorder; Social environment; Human; Foreign language version; Asiatic; Questionnaire; American; Self evaluation; Primary health care; Prediction; Mental health; Depression; Psychometrics; Ethnic group; Test validation; Depression Inventory Beck; Receiver operating characteristic curves; Chinese; Test scoring; Comparative study; Public health
• ISSN: 0001-690X; 1600-0447
• DOI: 10.1034/j.1600-0447.2002.1092.x

Objective: This study compares the effectiveness of the Chinese version of the Beck Depression Inventory (CBDI) and the Chinese Depression Inventory (CDI) in screening for depression among Chinese Americans.
Method: Five hundred and three Chinese‐Americans in primary care were administered the CBDI and the CDI for depression screening. The results were compared with standard semistructured interview.
Results: With empirically determined cutoff scores of the CBDI (≥13) and the CDI (≥16), both instruments have good sensitivity (0.78) and excellent specificity (0.91 and 0.93, respectively). The correlation between the total scores of the two instruments was high (0.785, P < 0.01). The areas under the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve of the CBDI and the CDI were 0.94 and 0.95, respectively, and were not significantly different.
Conclusion: When administered by nterviewers, the CBDI and the CDI have comparable effectiveness. Low participation among Chinese‐Americans with self‐report measures limits both scales as efficient depression screening instruments.