Adote Anum1, Samuel Adjorlolo2, Nuworza Kugbey3. 1. Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, College of Humanities, University of Ghana, P. O. Box LG 84, Legon, Accra, Ghana. 2. Department of Mental Health, School of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, P. O. Box LG 43, Legon, Accra, Ghana; Research and Grant Institute of Ghana, P. O. Box GP 2543, Accra, Ghana. Electronic address: sadjorlolo@ug.edu.gh. 3. Department of Family and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Volta Region, Ghana; Discipline of Psychology, School of Applied Human Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) has been used extensively in research and clinical settings. However, there is limited information regarding the psychometric properties of the PHQ-9 among adolescents, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS: Data were collected from 553 adolescents (girls = 322, 58.1%) using a cross-sectional survey design to investigate the factorial validity, construct validity and internal consistency of the PHQ-9 in Ghana. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and multi-group CFA support a one-factor structure of the PHQ-9 that was invariant across gender. The PHQ-9 correlates significantly with measures of anxiety, depression, mental wellbeing, and suicidal behavior. The internal consistency of the PHQ-9 was 0.71. LIMITATION: The study did not include a gold standard measure of depression to assess the diagnostic properties (e.g., sensitivity and specificity) of the PHQ-9. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that major depressive disorder, measured by the PHQ-9, is a homogeneous construct across gender and that the PHQ-9 can be used to screen for depressive symptoms in adolescent boys and girls in Ghana.
BACKGROUND: The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) has been used extensively in research and clinical settings. However, there is limited information regarding the psychometric properties of the PHQ-9 among adolescents, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS: Data were collected from 553 adolescents (girls = 322, 58.1%) using a cross-sectional survey design to investigate the factorial validity, construct validity and internal consistency of the PHQ-9 in Ghana. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and multi-group CFA support a one-factor structure of the PHQ-9 that was invariant across gender. The PHQ-9 correlates significantly with measures of anxiety, depression, mental wellbeing, and suicidal behavior. The internal consistency of the PHQ-9 was 0.71. LIMITATION: The study did not include a gold standard measure of depression to assess the diagnostic properties (e.g., sensitivity and specificity) of the PHQ-9. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that major depressive disorder, measured by the PHQ-9, is a homogeneous construct across gender and that the PHQ-9 can be used to screen for depressive symptoms in adolescent boys and girls in Ghana.
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