BACKGROUND: Previous measures of pediatric depression have shown inconsistent validity in groups with differing demographics, comorbid diagnoses, and clinic or non-clinic origins. The current study re-examines the criterion validity of child- and parent-versions of the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ-C, MFQ-P) in a heterogeneous sample of children and adolescents from clinic and non-clinic sources. METHODS: Among 470 consecutive youth completing semi-structured interviews at a university-based child psychiatry center, total scores from the 33-item MFQ-C and 34-item MFQ-P were examined across subjects with and without mood disorders using analysis of variance, and receiver operating characteristics analysis. RESULTS: Mean scores of the MFQ-C and MFQ-P, respectively, differed significantly (p < .0005) across youth having major depressive episodes (MDE) (33 and 32, n = 77), mood disorders not meeting criteria for current MDE (24 and 28, n = 75), and no mood disorders (12 and 10, n = 318). In the overall sample, areas under the curve (AUC) for discriminating MDE and any mood disorder, respectively, were .85 and .83 on the MFQ-C, .86 and .90 on the MFQ-P, and .89 and .90 on the MFQ-C and MFQ-P averaged together, suggesting moderate to high criterion validity. Similar findings were noted in subgroups divided by age, sex, race, comorbid psychopathology, and clinic or non-clinic origins. AUCs of these MFQ scores compared favorably with those of the Beck's Depressive Inventory, the Child Behavior Checklist's Anxious/Depressed scale and the Children's Depressive Rating Scale-Revised by the same raters. A score of 29 on the MFQ-C (positive screen rate 21%, sensitivity 68%, specificity 88%) or 27 on the MFQ-P (positive screen rate 23%, sensitivity 61%, specificity 85%) optimally discriminated youth with MDE from the rest of the sample. CONCLUSIONS: The MFQ-C and MFQ-P, especially used in combination, validly identify MDE or other mood disorders in youth diverse in demographic and clinical characteristics.
BACKGROUND: Previous measures of pediatric depression have shown inconsistent validity in groups with differing demographics, comorbid diagnoses, and clinic or non-clinic origins. The current study re-examines the criterion validity of child- and parent-versions of the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ-C, MFQ-P) in a heterogeneous sample of children and adolescents from clinic and non-clinic sources. METHODS: Among 470 consecutive youth completing semi-structured interviews at a university-based child psychiatry center, total scores from the 33-item MFQ-C and 34-item MFQ-P were examined across subjects with and without mood disorders using analysis of variance, and receiver operating characteristics analysis. RESULTS: Mean scores of the MFQ-C and MFQ-P, respectively, differed significantly (p < .0005) across youth having major depressive episodes (MDE) (33 and 32, n = 77), mood disorders not meeting criteria for current MDE (24 and 28, n = 75), and no mood disorders (12 and 10, n = 318). In the overall sample, areas under the curve (AUC) for discriminating MDE and any mood disorder, respectively, were .85 and .83 on the MFQ-C, .86 and .90 on the MFQ-P, and .89 and .90 on the MFQ-C and MFQ-P averaged together, suggesting moderate to high criterion validity. Similar findings were noted in subgroups divided by age, sex, race, comorbid psychopathology, and clinic or non-clinic origins. AUCs of these MFQ scores compared favorably with those of the Beck's Depressive Inventory, the Child Behavior Checklist's Anxious/Depressed scale and the Children's Depressive Rating Scale-Revised by the same raters. A score of 29 on the MFQ-C (positive screen rate 21%, sensitivity 68%, specificity 88%) or 27 on the MFQ-P (positive screen rate 23%, sensitivity 61%, specificity 85%) optimally discriminated youth with MDE from the rest of the sample. CONCLUSIONS: The MFQ-C and MFQ-P, especially used in combination, validly identify MDE or other mood disorders in youth diverse in demographic and clinical characteristics.
Authors: Mackenzie S Mills; Christine M Embury; Alicia K Klanecky; Maya M Khanna; Vince D Calhoun; Julia M Stephen; Yu-Ping Wang; Tony W Wilson; Amy S Badura-Brack Journal: J Child Adolesc Trauma Date: 2019-08-19
Authors: Emily A Hutchinson; Dana Rosen; Kristy Allen; Rebecca B Price; Marlissa Amole; Jennifer S Silk Journal: Child Psychiatry Hum Dev Date: 2019-06
Authors: Melynda D Casement; Tina R Goldstein; John Merranko; Sarah M Gratzmiller; Peter L Franzen Journal: Psychosom Med Date: 2019 Nov/Dec Impact factor: 4.312
Authors: Matteo Giletta; Casey D Calhoun; Paul D Hastings; Karen D Rudolph; Matthew K Nock; Mitchell J Prinstein Journal: J Abnorm Child Psychol Date: 2015-07
Authors: Danella Hafeman; Genna Bebko; Michele A Bertocci; Jay C Fournier; Henry W Chase; Lisa Bonar; Susan B Perlman; Michael Travis; Mary Kay Gill; Vaibhav A Diwadkar; Jeffrey L Sunshine; Scott K Holland; Robert A Kowatch; Boris Birmaher; David Axelson; Sarah M Horwitz; L Eugene Arnold; Mary A Fristad; Thomas W Frazier; Eric A Youngstrom; Robert L Findling; Mary L Phillips Journal: J Affect Disord Date: 2016-10-11 Impact factor: 4.839