Validity of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale as a screening instrument of major depressive disorder among Japanese workers

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Background: The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES‐D) is used at workplaces to screen depressive disorders. The aim of this study was to examine the validity of the CES‐D for depression in a workplace.Methods: The CES‐D was administered to 2,219 workers (84.2% men; age 21–68 years) at a manufacturing company in Japan. Concomitantly all workers had an interview with the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) as a gold standard for diagnosing major depressive disorder (MDD). The validity was evaluated by a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.Results: The area under the ROC curve of the CES‐D was 0.96 [95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.94–0.99]. The optimal cut‐off score of MDD was 19 for screening.Conclusions: The validity of CES‐D is confirmed and it is a valid instrument for detecting MDD in working populations in Japan. Am. J. Ind. Med. 50:8–12, 2007.