A-113 Comparison of Two Depression Screeners in a Memory Clinic Population

Abstract Objective: The present study examines the degree of agreement between the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) in detecting depression in older adults (ages 65+) in a memory disorder clinic sample. Method: Data from 100 memory disorder clinic patients, ages 65–93 (M = 79.67, SD = 6.66; 57% female) was utilized. Participants were included if they completed all items of both depression questionnaires regardless of diagnosis (e.g., dementia, mild cognitive impairment, within normal limits). Patients’ scores on the PHQ-9 and GDS were obtained as part of a brief neuropsychological battery and included as variables in this study. Results: Using established cutoffs for mild depression on each questionnaire, a Chi-square test of independence determined that there was significant agreement between the two, χ2(1) = 38.87, p