Cross-validation of a short form of the CES-D in Chinese elderly

Objective To establish the reliability and validity of a 10‐item short form of the CES‐D (CESD‐10). Design Cross‐sectional and longitudinal follow‐up over 3 years. Standardized questionnaire and face‐to‐face interview were conducted. Setting Community and psychogeriatric assessment clinic of a voluntary organization. Participants Five hundred and fifty‐four elderly in the general community, 30 elderly from a community centre and 31 elderly patients with depressive symptoms. Measures Instruments other than the CESD‐10 included Activities of Daily Living (ADL), the Life Satisfaction Scale (LSS), the Lubben Social Network Scale, a single‐item measure of self‐rated health. Results Reliability of the CESD‐10 in terms of internal consistency was satisfactory (Cronbach α=0.78–0.79). Moderate consistency over a period of 3 years was also found to be significant (r=0.44, p