JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

A growing volume of mental health research is conducted with participants recruited and responding online. To date, however, few psychometric scales have been specifically validated for online research.

Objective:

To this end, we devised a brief, 12-item version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D).

Methods:

We recruited 218 adults with depression and 226 comparison participants with no mental health history. Both groups completed the original 20-item CES-D, measures of social support, psychological distress and sociodemographic information (e.g., age, gender, household income). Measurement of social support included online support, and psychological distress included symptoms of social media use disorder along with loneliness and life dissatisfaction.

Results:

This brief, 12-item CES-D was devised with persons with depression and replicated with comparison participants. For both, core sadness, somatic symptoms, interpersonal detachment, and absence of well-being each significantly contributed to measurement of a higher-order, depression latent construct. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was performed to establish the construct validity of this 4-factor model in which depression is predicted by socioeconomic factors, and depression predicts lower social support as well as greater psychological distress.

Conclusions:

Responses to this 12-item, online version of the CES-D demonstrate factorial and construct validity. Clinical research is required in future to ascertain if response levels greater than 11 (of 36) are suggestive of elevated depressive symptomology.