TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2019//
TI  - Cross-cultural psychometric properties of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale
JO  - Canadian journal of psychiatry, The
A1  - Vindbjerg, Erik
A1  - Makransky, Guido
A1  - Mortensen, Erik Lykke
A1  - Carlsson, Jessica
SP  - 39
EP  - 46
VL  - 64
IS  - 1
N2  - 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>
LA  - en
SN  - 0706-7437
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0706743718772516
ID  - ref1
ER  -