Concurrent validity of a state depression measure for use in community surveys

Concurrent validity data for the Depression Adjective Check List (DACL Form-E) were obtained by correlating the DACL with 18 self-report and 18 family report measures that seem to be related to the depression construct. Of a sample of 611 consecutive adult applicants to an urban community mental health center, 387 cases on which there were complete data for patients and a family member were analyzed. Eighty-nine percent of the correlations for self-report measures were significant, whereas only 28% of the correlations of the DACL with family report measures were significant. In general, the results tended to confirm expectations.