AUTHOR=Bugallo-Carrera Cesar , Dosil-Díaz Carlos , Pereiro Arturo X. , Anido-Rifón Luís , Pacheco-Lorenzo Moisés , Fernández-Iglesias Manuel J. , Gandoy-Crego Manuel 

TITLE=Assessment of validity and comparison of two Spanish versions of the Geriatric Depression Scale

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=Volume 14 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1101886

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1101886

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=Introduction. The Geriatric Depression Scale is an instrument used to identify depression in people of an older age. The original English version of this scale has been translated into Spanish (GDS-VE); two shorter versions of 5- (GDS-5) and 15-items (GDS-15) have been developed. Aim of the study. To assess the validity and compare the 5- and 15-item Spanish versions of the GDS among the Spanish population. Materials and Methods. Five hundred and seventy-three Galicia residents aged > 50 years participated in this study. The following instruments were applied: the 19-item Control, Autonomy, Self-Realization and Pleasure scale, the Subjective Memory Complaints Questionnaire, the Mini-Mental State Examination test, the GDS-5, and the GDS-15. Results. We found differences in total score between GDS-5 and GDS-15 regarding the variable sex. Internal reliability for GDS-5 and GDS-15 was .495 and .715, respectively. Sensitivity and specificity for GDS-5 - with a cut-off value of 1 - was .517 and .650, respectively; for GDS-15 - with a cut-off value of 3 points - sensitivity was .755 and specificity .668. GDS-5 has a ROC curve of .617 and GDS-15 of .764. Conclusions. GDS-15, and to a greater extent GDS-5, should be revised or even reformulated to improve their diagnostic usefulness.