Psychometric Properties of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale in African American and Black Caribbean US Adults

Abstract

A 12-item version of the 20-item Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D) Scale was not validated in Black US adults but demonstrated strong psychometrics in other populations. Using data from the National Survey of American Life (n = 4,815), the psychometric properties of the scale were tested in African American and Black Caribbean adults. When compared with the DSM-IV-TR criteria for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Dysthymia, most items in the CES-D Scale focus on depressed mood, providing evidence for content validity. Construct validity was questionable in African American and Black Caribbean men. The CES-D scores of African American men who met the DSM-IV-TR (APA, 2000) criteria for Dysthymia were not significantly different than African American men who did not (t = 1.9, p = .109). The CES-D scores of Black Caribbean men who met the DSM-IV-TR criteria for MDD were not significantly different than Black Caribbean men who did not (t = 1.6, p = .198), and none of the Black Caribbean men met the DSM-IV-TR criteria for Dysthymia. For the item, “I felt like everything I did was an effort,” all groups had item-to-total correlations and inter-item correlations below .30. After eliminating this item, the alpha for the remaining 11 items was .80 and .76 in African American and Black Caribbean women, respectively. African American and Black Caribbean men also had item-to-total correlations and inter-item correlations below .30 for the item “I felt that I was just as good as other people.” After eliminating these items, the alpha for the remaining 10 items was .73 in African American and Black Caribbean men. The cut-off score was 9 for the 11-item CES-D and 8 for the 10-item CES-D.