Contribution to the validation of the Kutcher Adolescent Depression Scale (KADS-6) in a Portuguese population

Abstract

The KADS-6 is a self-report assessment instrument known for its ease application in assessing depression in young people. This study aimed to contribute to the validation of the Portuguese version of this tool and analyze its psychometric characteristics in comparison with other self-report instruments for depression in adolescents, in Portugal. Two samples were collected, a non-clinical group of in school youth (n=773; 52.4% male) and a clinical sample (n=134 youth; 44% male). Comparisons also used the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) and the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI). Results: The factor analysis revealed the unidimensionality of the measure. The KADS-6 demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) in both clinical (.74) and school (.80) samples. Its convergent validity with the BDI-II and CDI was r=.44; r=.61, respectively in the clinical sample and r=.60; r=.57 in the school sample. The KADS-6, a short and time effi cient instrument, showed good psychometric characteristics in terms of internal consistency and convergent validity in comparison with the BDI-II and the CDI. Given its ease of use and scoring, the KADS-6 could be considered for use in both school and clinical settings when addressing adolescent depression. Keywords: Adolescence, depression, assessment, measure development/validation. ResumoA Kutcher Adolescent Depression Scale (KADS-6) é uma medida de autorrelato, conhecida pela sua facilidade de aplicação na avaliação da depressão em jovens. Este estudo teve como objetivos contribuir para a validação da versão portuguesa desta ferramenta e analisar as suas características psicométricas em comparação com outros instrumentos de autorrelato para a avaliação da depressão em adolescentes, em Portugal. Foram recolhidas duas amostras, uma não clínica, formada por jovens em contexto escolar (n=773; 52,4% rapazes) e outra amostra clínica (n=134; 44% rapazes). Foram também utilizados o Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) e o Children's Depression Inventory (CDI). A análise fatorial revelou a unidimensionalidade da medida. A KADS-6 demonstrou boa consistência interna (alfa de Cronbach) nas amostras não clínica (.74) e clínica (.80). A validade convergente com a BDI-II e CDI foi, respetivamente, r = .44; r = .61 na amostra clínica e r = .60; r = .57 na amostra não clínica. Conclui-se que a KADS-6 mostrou boas características psicométricas em termos de consistência interna e validade convergente em comparação com o BDI-II e o CDI. Dada a sua facilidade de uso e interpretação, a KADS-6 pode ser considerada para uso em contexto escolar e em ambientes clínicos, para avaliar a depressão adolescente. Palavras-chave: Adolescência, depressão, avaliação, desenvolvimento/validação de instrumentos.

The Validation of the Kutcher Adolescent Depression 6-Item Scale in a Sample of Colombian Preadolescents and Adolescents

“…Consistent with previous research (Mojs et al, 2015;Lowe et al, 2018;Quintão et al, 2015), one clear component emerged from the principal components analysis of the KADS-6. This component included all six items of the measure assessing the three key elements of depressive symptomsaffective, cognitive, and somatic.…”

“…In our Colombian sample, the internal consistency reliability of KADS-6 were slightly lower (α = .72 validation and .69 cross-validation) than those found in other studies (Mojs, et al, 2015; Quintão, et al, 2015). However, those other studies used youth who were much older (12–24 years of age) than those who participated in our study (8–13 years of age).…”

“…However, those other studies used youth who were much older (12–24 years of age) than those who participated in our study (8–13 years of age). For instance, Quintão, et al (2015) using a Portuguese sample of 12–18 year olds found internal consistency reliabilities ranging from .74, for a clinical sample to .80 in a school sample. Mojs, et al (2015) found a Cronbach’s Alpha of .84 using a sample of Polish medical students 18–24 years of age.…”

“…The six-item version of KADS has good sensitivity (92%) and specificity (71%) (LeBlanc, et al, 2002). It has been validated in different languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, Persian and Polish and has been used extensively across many countries in the world (Mojs, et al, 2015; Quintão, et al, 2015).…”

“…In addition, The CDI can only be interpreted by staff who have extensive professional training. The KADS-6 does not have these limitations as it was designed for use with children and adolescents, is inexpensive to acquire and use, does not require extensive professional training, and has been shown to be valid and reliable across a wide range of languages and cultures (Lowe, et al, 2018; Quintão, et al, 2015). The current study seeks to examine the internal consistency reliability, component structure and validity of the KADS-6 among Colombian children and adolescents.…”