@article{ref1,
title="Cross-cultural psychometric properties of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale",
journal="Canadian journal of psychiatry, The",
year="2019",
author="Vindbjerg, Erik and Makransky, Guido and Mortensen, Erik Lykke and Carlsson, Jessica",
volume="64",
number="1",
pages="39-46",
abstract="OBJECTIVE: The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) is considered the gold standard measure of depression. The factor structure of the HDRS is generally unstable, but 4 to 8 items appear to form a general depression factor. As transcultural studies of the HDRS have received little attention, and as most of the studies have taken a data-driven approach with a tendency to yield fragmented results, it is not clear if an HDRS general depression factor can also be found in non-Western populations. This is an important issue in deciding on the appropriateness of the scale as a gold standard in transcultural psychiatry. <br><br>METHOD: A systematic review was carried out to compare previously reported factor structures of the HDRS in non-Western cultures. Overlapping clusters across studies were identified and subsequently tested with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of responses from an independent sample. <br><br>RESULTS: Fourteen relevant studies were identified, 12 of which were obtained. A general depression factor was identified, consisting of the following symptoms: depressed mood, guilt, loss of interests, retardation, suicide, and psychological anxiety. The subsequent CFA analysis supported the fit of this model. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that a general depression cluster is manifest in responses to the HDRS across cultures. While psychometric properties of the full-length HDRS are still debated, the general depression cluster appears pertinent to the assessment of depression across cultures. We recommend that cross-cultural clinicians and researchers focus on the use of unidimensional depression scales, which are in agreement with this cluster.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0706-7437",
doi="10.1177/0706743718772516",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0706743718772516"
}