The Children's Depression Inventory as a Screen for Depression in Thai Children
UMAPORN TRANGKASOMBAT, M.D.*, DUSIT LIKANAPICHITKUL, M.D.**
Affiliation : * Child Psychiatry Division, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkom University, Bangkok 10330. ** Yuwaprasart Hospital, Institute of Mental Health, Bangkok I 1000, Thailand.
Abstract This study examines the utilization of the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI), Thai ver- sion, as a screen for depression in Thai children. Subjects which consisted of 139 children aged 10-15 years filled out the CDI and were evaluated with structured psychiatric interview by a child psychiatrist who was blind to the results of the CD I. Children with interview validated depression had significantly elevated CDI scores (mean = 18.5, SD = 6.1) compared with nondepressed children (mean = 9.3, SD = 4.1), P> 10·6• Furthermore, the CDI scores increased as the severity of depres- sion increased. Using the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve, a cut-point of 15 produced the best overall screening characterstics (sensitivity = 79%, specificity =91% and accuracy = 87% ). The results of this study indicate that the CDI efficiently differentiated depressed from non- depressed children. Since the CDI is an economical, easy to adiminister and readily analyzable instrument, it should be used as a screen for depression and a supplant for clinical evaluation and follow-up in the treatment of depression in children.
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