Internal consistency: Coefficient alpha = .85 (general population), .90 (patient sample)Split halves = .77 (general population), .85 (patient sample)Spearman-Brown = .87 (general population), .92 (patient sample)
Radloff, L. S., (1977). The CES-D scale: A self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Applied Psychological Measurement, 1(3), 385-401.
2 week interval: .51; 4 week interval: .67; 6 and 8 week intervals: .59
Not designed for clinical diagnosis. Discriminates, is sensitive to, and reflects change in symptoms
High CES-D scores have been linked to later suicidal behavior (Lewinsohn et al. 1996).
The CES-D screeners have been used primarily in general community samples (e.g., Garrison et al., 1991a, 1991b; Lewinsohn et al., 1996; Roberts and Chen, 1995). However, the Lewinsohn et al. (1996) screener has also been used with incarcerated adolescents (Rohde et al., 1997).