How to screen for depression and emotional problems in patients with diabetes: comparison of screening characteristics of depression questionnaires, measurement of diabetes-specific emotional problems and standard clinical assessment

Abstract

Aims/hypothesis: We compared the screening performance of different measures of depression: the standard clinical assessment (SCA); the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI); the Center of Epidemiological StudiesDepression Scale (CES-D); and the Problem Areas in Diabetes (PAID) questionnaire, which assesses diabetesspecific distress. We also studied the ability of these measures to detect diabetes-related distress. Materials and methods: A total of 376 diabetic patients (37.2% type 1; 23.9% type 2 without insulin treatment, 38.8% type 2 with insulin) completed the BDI and CES-D; patients who screened positive participated in a diagnostic interview, the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). Also, all patients completed the PAID questionnaire. Results of the SCA that related to depression diagnosis were reviewed to correct for false negative screening results. Results: The prevalence of clinical depression was 14.1%, with an additional 18.9% of patients receiving a diagnosis of subclinical depression. Sensitivity for clinical depression in SCA (56%) was moderate, whereas BDI, CES-D and the PAID questionnaire showed satisfactory sensitivity (87, 79 and 81%, respectively). For subclinical depression, the sensitivity of the PAID questionnaire (79%) was sufficient, whereas that of SCA (25%) was poor. All methods showed low sensitivity for the detection of diabetes-specific emotional problems (SCA 19%, CIDI 34%, BDI 60%, CES-D 49%). Conclusions/interpretation: The screening performance of SCA for clinical and subclinical depression was modest. Additional screening for depression using the PAID or another depression questionnaire seems reasonable. The ability of depression screening measures to identify diabetes-related distress is modest, suggesting that the PAID questionnaire could be useful when screening diabetic patients for both depression and emotional problems.

Short-form measures of diabetes-related emotional distress: the Problem Areas in Diabetes Scale (PAID)-5 and PAID-1

“…To evaluate the ability of the PAID-5 to 'diagnose' high distress, a cut-off score of ≥33 on the 20 item PAID was used [5]. Using the optimal cut-off score of ≥8 on the PAID-5, the AUC value was 0.97 (95% CI 0.96-0.98) in subsample 1 and 0.98 (95% CI 0.97-0.99) in subsample 2, while sensitivity was 95% and specificity was 89% for each of the subsamples.…”

“…Consequently, international guidelines advocate routine screening for psychological problems [2,3]. The Problem Areas in Diabetes Scale (PAID) [4] has been recommended for identifying depression and diabetes-related distress [5]. The PAID is a widely used measure, containing 20 items which have a five-point response option (0-4 representing 'Not a problem' through to 'Serious problem').…”

Validation of the Spanish version of the Problem Areas in Diabetes (PAID-SP) Scale

“…Therefore, this scale is a valuable tool for the screening of depressive symptoms [3,4] and has demonstrated an adequate sensitivity to change [5]. Despite its proven utility in different cultural settings [6][7][8][9][10][11], studies aim to test the validity of the scale for Spanish speaking patients from Spain (PAID-SP) are lacking.…”

Barriers to Addressing Psychological Problems in Diabetes: Perspectives of Diabetologists on Routine Diabetes Consultations in Denmark

“…Approximately two out of three patients with serious psychological problems remain undiagnosed [1,2].…”