Factorial validity of the center for epidemiological studies depression 10 in adolescents

The Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D) Scale's 20-item version is well-validated and reliable for detecting depressive symptoms in adolescents in community samples. A shortened version, CES-D 10 has not been validated with adolescents, but has demonstrated strong psychometrics in other populations. The purpose of this study was to test the factorial validity and internal consistency of the CES-D 10 in adolescents. Using data from 156 adolescents in a previous community-based study, we tested three models of the underlying factors of the CES-D 10 using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) based on factor models validated in other populations. A two-factor model comprised of depressive affect and positive affect was found to be the model that best fits the data (RMSEA=0.016, CFI=0.98, GFI=0.95, AIC=97.43, BIC=191.98). These findings are consistent with other studies in adults and provide initial support for the use of the CES-D 10 as a depression screen for adolescents in the community. The utility of a brief screen for adolescents in the community is high, given that many adolescents do not know they need help or are reluctant to seek help. The CES-D 10 could be used as a depression screen for adolescents at a population level and in health clinics.