Construct: Depressive symptoms
Description of Measure: The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) is a self-report measure of depression in older adults. Users respond in a “Yes/No” format. The GDS was originally developed as a 30-item instrument. Since this version proved both time-consuming and difficult for some patients to complete, a 15-item version was developed. The shortened form (GDS-S) is comprised of 15 items chosen from the Geriatric Depression Scale-Long Form (GDS-L). These 15 items were chosen because of their high correlation with depressive symptoms in previous validation studies (Sheikh & Yesavage, 1986). Of the 15 items, 10 indicate the presence of depression when answered positively while the other 5 are indicative of depression when answered negatively. This form can be completed in approximately 5 to 7 minutes, making it ideal for people who are easily fatigued or are limited in their ability to concentrate for longer periods of time. The 30-item and 15-item versions are widely used in caregiving research (e.g., Fauth et al., 2013, and Gaugler et al., 2015, and Gaugler et al., 2014 and Dissanayaka et al., 2017, respectively).
A validation study was conducted by Sheikh and Yesavage (1986) in which the GDS-S was compared to the GDS-L in differentiating depressed from non-depressed patients. Both measures were successful in classifying the 2 populations accurately with a reported correlation of r = .84, p < .001.
Briefer 10-, 4-, and 1-item versions also have been developed. The GDS-S can be used appropriately in diverse populations (e.g., Luchsinger et al., 2018).
References
Gaugler, J. E., Reese, M., & Mittelman, M. S. (2015). Effects of the Minnesota adaptation of the NYU Caregiver Intervention on depressive symptoms and quality of life for adult child caregivers of persons with dementia. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 23(11), 1179-1192, doi: 10.1016/j.jagp.2015.06.007
Luchsinger, J. A., Burgio, L., Mittelman, M., Dunner, I., Levine, J. A., Hoyos, C., Tipiani, D., Henriquez, Y., Kong, J., Silver, S., Ramirez, M., & Teresi, J.A. (2018). Comparative effectiveness of 2 interventions for Hispanic caregivers of persons with dementia. Clinical Investigation, 66(9), 1708-1715. doi: 10.1111/jgs.15450
Marwijk, H. W, Wallace, P., de Bock, G. H., Hermans, J., Kaptein, A. A., & Mulder, J. D. (1995). Evaluation of the feasibility, reliability and diagnostic value of shortened versions of the Geriatric Depression Scale. British Journal of General Practice, 45, 195-199.
Parmelee, P., Lawton, M., & Katz, I. (1989). Psychometric properties of the Geriatric Depression Scale among the institutionalized aged. Psychological Assessment, 1(4), 331-338.
Sheikh, J. I., & Yesavage, J. A. (1986). Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS): Recent evidence and development of a shorter version. Clinical Gerontologist, 5, 165-173.