Detection of Major and Minor Depression in Children and Adolescents: Evaluation of the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire

Abstract

The detection of major and minor depression in children and adolescents was evaluated in an outpatient sample of 113 children employing the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (both child and parent versions) and the K-SADS interview. Differences between depressed and nondepressed groups, those with major or minor depression, and depressed children compared with those comorbid for anxiety, were examined. Our findings support the validity of the MFQ as a screening instrument for major and minor depression in a population with a high proportion of depressed cases. High agreement between parent and child ratings was found, with cognitive items being the best predictors of depression.

The Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (SMFQ): A Unidimensional Item Response Theory and Categorical Data Factor Analysis of Self-Report Ratings from a Community Sample of 7-through 11-Year-Old Children

“…Within this age range, cognitive symptoms of depression such as items 8, 9, 11 and 12 show higher factor loadings, and therefore more discriminatory power at the severe end of the latent trait compared with "somatic" symptoms like items 3 and 4. These results are in line with previous research showing that both cognitive and somatic symptoms in the long form of the MFQ are essential to the construct of depression in children and adolescents (Kent et al, 1997), but may differ in their prevalence and/or loading on a single factor of severity. The current results showed somatic symptoms of depression (tired and restless) contributed less than cognitive symptoms to the underlying unidimensional latent trait of depression in 7-11-year-old children.…”

“…MFQ items were designed to cover DSM diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder (APA, 1994). Over the past decade, the long form consisting of 33 items has been used extensively in both epidemiological and clinical research (Costello et al, 1996a(Costello et al, , 1996bGoodyer, Herbert, Tamplin, & Altham, 2000;Kent, Vostanis, & Feehan, 1997;Park, Goodyer, & Teasdale, 2002;Wood, Kroll, Moore, & Harrington, 1995). Criterion-related validity (ability to predict clinical diagnosis) has been established for the long form (Wood et al, 1995).…”

“…Over the past decade, the long form consisting of 33 items has been used extensively in both epidemiological and clinical research (Costello et al, 1996a(Costello et al, , 1996bGoodyer, Herbert, Tamplin, & Altham, 2000;Kent, Vostanis, & Feehan, 1997;Park, Goodyer, & Teasdale, 2002;Wood, Kroll, Moore, & Harrington, 1995). Criterion-related validity (ability to predict clinical diagnosis) has been established for the long form (Wood et al, 1995).A short form consisting of 13 items (SMFQ) was subsequently derived for which criterion validity has also been shown Kent et al, 1997;Thapar & McGuffin, 1998). Table I presents details of studies that have used the self-report version of both the long and short form of the MFQ and summarizes the validity issues addressed.…”

“…A short form consisting of 13 items (SMFQ) was subsequently derived for which criterion validity has also been shown Kent et al, 1997;Thapar & McGuffin, 1998). Table I presents details of studies that have used the self-report version of both the long and short form of the MFQ and summarizes the validity issues addressed.…”

Community clinic treatment of depressed youth: Benchmarking usual care against CBT clinical trials.

“…2 Study measures and normative data were as follows: Children's Depression Inventory ( ϭ 9.09, ϭ 7.04; Smucker et al, 1986); Beck Depression Inventory ( ϭ 7.17, ϭ 7.50; Roberts, Lewinsohn, & Seeley, 1991); Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale ( ϭ 16.98, ϭ 10.65; Roberts et al, 1991); Mood and Feelings Questionnaire, child version ( ϭ 27.05, ϭ 13.73; Kent, Vostanis, & Feehan, 1997). For the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ-C), we had to rely on psychometric data collected in samples of child and adolescent outpatients.…”