OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to systematically review the psychometric properties of instruments used to screen for major depressive disorder or assess depression symptom severity among African youth. METHODS: Systematic search terms were applied to seven bibliographic databases: African Journals Online, the African Journal Archive, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Embase, the Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), PsycINFO, and the World Health Organization (WHO) African Index Medicus. Studies examining the reliability and/or validity of depression assessment tools were selected for inclusion if they were based on data collected from youth (any author definition) in an African member state of the United Nations. We extracted data on study population characteristics, sampling strategy, sample size, the instrument assessed, and the type of reliability and/or validity evidence provided. RESULTS: Of 1 027 records, we included 23 studies of 10 499 youth in 10 African countries. Most studies reported excellent scale reliability, but there was much less evidence of equivalence or criterion-related validity. No measures were validated in more than two countries. CONCLUSIONS: There is a paucity of evidence on the reliability or validity of depression assessment among African youth. The field is constrained by a lack of established criterion standards, but studies incorporating mixed methods offer promising strategies for guiding the process of cross-cultural development and validation.
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to systematically review the psychometric properties of instruments used to screen for major depressive disorder or assess depression symptom severity among African youth. METHODS: Systematic search terms were applied to seven bibliographic databases: African Journals Online, the African Journal Archive, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Embase, the Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), PsycINFO, and the World Health Organization (WHO) African Index Medicus. Studies examining the reliability and/or validity of depression assessment tools were selected for inclusion if they were based on data collected from youth (any author definition) in an African member state of the United Nations. We extracted data on study population characteristics, sampling strategy, sample size, the instrument assessed, and the type of reliability and/or validity evidence provided. RESULTS: Of 1 027 records, we included 23 studies of 10 499 youth in 10 African countries. Most studies reported excellent scale reliability, but there was much less evidence of equivalence or criterion-related validity. No measures were validated in more than two countries. CONCLUSIONS: There is a paucity of evidence on the reliability or validity of depression assessment among African youth. The field is constrained by a lack of established criterion standards, but studies incorporating mixed methods offer promising strategies for guiding the process of cross-cultural development and validation.
Authors: J N Giedd; J Blumenthal; N O Jeffries; F X Castellanos; H Liu; A Zijdenbos; T Paus; A C Evans; J L Rapoport Journal: Nat Neurosci Date: 1999-10 Impact factor: 24.884
Authors: Oye Gureje; Victor O Lasebikan; Olusola Ephraim-Oluwanuga; Benjamin O Olley; Lola Kola Journal: Br J Psychiatry Date: 2005-05 Impact factor: 9.319
Authors: Anne M de Graaff; Pim Cuijpers; Mariska Leeflang; Irene Sferra; Jana R Uppendahl; Ralph de Vries; Marit Sijbrandij Journal: Glob Ment Health (Camb) Date: 2021-11-23
Authors: Mark Otiende; Amina Abubakar; George Mochamah; David Walumbe; Christopher Nyundo; Aoife M Doyle; David A Ross; Charles R Newton; Evasius Bauni Journal: Wellcome Open Res Date: 2017-11-29