Is the Russian-language version of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) valid and reliable for screening anxiety and depression in the general population?
The Russian-language version of HADS is a valid and reliable tool for screening anxiety and depression in the general population.
The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) is a widely used tool in screening for anxiety and depression, including in the practice of medical physicians. However, a full-fledged adaptation and validation of the Russian-language version of HADS for the general Russian population have not yet been carried out. Objective. To develop, validate and evaluate the psychometric properties of the HADS version adapted for the Russian population. Material and methods. The psychometric properties of HADS were assessed on a sample of 283 participants (77.4% were females, mean age 31.49 (9.066) years); the mental disorders were diagnosed during a clinical interview using the ICD-10 criteria. Results and discussion. Factor analysis confirmed the pronounced two-factor structure of HADS. High Cronbach’s alpha values for all HADS questions (α=0.90), as well as for anxiety (α=0.86) and depression (α=0.84) subscales, indicate good internal consistency of the questionnaire. By developing predictive models and using ROC analysis, the following optimal thresholds for the detection of depression, anxiety, and overall mental disorders were proposed: 9 points on the depression subscale, 10 points on the anxiety subscale, and 18 points on the general scale, respectively. Conclusion. The results indicate the validity and reliability of the Russian-language version of HADS and support its use, including in the routine practice of medical doctors for screening for symptoms of anxiety and depression in the general population.
Ma et al. (Sat,) studied this question.