Depression rating scales as screening tools for depression in high school students (original) (raw)

Background: Depression is a major cause of suicide among adolescents. Therefore, it is crucial to find suitable depression screening tools for this population. Objective: To evaluate the use of depression rating scales as screening tools for depression in a sample of Brazilian high school students. Methods: A cross-sectional study. Three scales (BDI, CES-D, and CRS) and a screening test for general psychiatric symptoms (SRQ) were administered to a sample of 503 high school students aged between 15 to 17 years. The results were compared to those obtained with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). Results: The prevalence of major depression using DSM-IV criteria was 10.9%. Adolescents with major depression had significantly higher (p = 0.001) scores in the SRQ and in the three scales analyzed compared to the group without depression. The sensitivity and specificity of BDI, CES-D, and CRS were 0.77 and 0.70, 0.75 and 0.73, and 0.82 and 0.71, respectively, ...

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