Geriatric Depression Scale

The Long Form and the Short Form of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) were compared in a VA nursing home population. The study had two phases. In the first phase, 86 geriatric male veterans were administered the Long Form of the GDS at intake. The Long Form was rescored on the Short Form and a scatterplot was constructed. The Short Form of the GDS consistently identified 94% of the participants using the Long Form as the standard. In the second phase of the study, 31 veterans were administered both the Long Form and the Short Form of the GDS in alternating order during their intake or annual screening assessment. A scatterplot showed the Short Form to consistently identify 100% of the participants using the Long Form as the standard.