Synapse
⌘+K
Synapse
PulseExploreClubsResearchersJournals
Instagram
HomeClubsExplore
November 17, 2025PLoS ONEOpen Access

Investigating the psychometric properties of the Patient Health Questionnaire for Adolescents (PHQ-A) and Center for Epidemiologic Studies - Depression Scale for Children (CES-DC) among young adolescents in South Africa

View Full Paper
Ask AI
Bookmark
Share

Authors

MMMirriam MkhizeCWClaire van der WesthuizenKSKatherine Sorsdahl

Discussion

Loading...

Member takes

Overview

Assessment shows PHQ-A and CES-DC have good psychometric properties for adolescents, suggesting improved mental health detection in South Africa.

Key Points

  • This research examines the psychometric properties of the PHQ-A and CES-DC among adolescents in South Africa.
  • Conducted cognitive testing focus groups with 42 adolescents to assess comprehension of screening tools.
  • Administered a tablet-based survey to 500 adolescents from 10 schools, including socio-demographic data and the screening tools.
  • Performed clinical diagnostic interviews with a subset of 123 adolescents using the MINI-KID depression modules.
  • Re-administered the survey for test-retest reliability to 145 adolescents two weeks later.
  • Evaluated criterion validity using ROC analysis with the MINI-KID as reference.
  • PHQ-A demonstrated good internal consistency (alpha = 0.82) and moderate test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.56).
  • CES-DC showed good internal consistency (alpha = 0.86) and moderate test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.68).
  • PHQ-A sensitivity was 85.7% and specificity was 61.8%, with Youden’s index of 7.5 for cutoff score.
  • CES-DC had a sensitivity of 95.2% and specificity of 56.9%, with Youden’s index of 21.
  • Factor structure analysis revealed distinct loading patterns for both instruments.

Cite This Study

Mkhize et al. (2025) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/692509eec0ce034ddc352960https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0334658
View Full Paper
Ask AI
Bookmark
Share

Also Consider

Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context:

  1. 1A systematic review and meta-analysis of diagnostic test accuracy of mental health screening tools applicable to adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa2026
  2. 2Psychometric properties of the CES-D and four of its short-forms among South African primary care patients with a chronic condition2026
  3. 3Validation of the Korean Version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale for Children2026
  4. 4The validity of the Patient Health Questionnaire for screening depression in chronic care patients in primary health care in South Africa2015 · 205 citations
  5. 5Translation, cultural adaptation and validation of Patient Health Questionnaire and generalized anxiety disorder among adolescents in Nepal2024 · 15 citations