The Children's Depression Inventory: A systematic evaluation of psychometric properties

Determined the psychometric properties of the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) by administering it to 294 schoolchildren (aged 7 yrs to 13 yrs 4 mo) and to 269 psychiatric inpatients (aged 7 yrs 1 mo to 16 yrs 4 mo). Results show good internal consistency in both groups, but test-retest data were variable across populations and test-retest intervals. Validity analysis showed that the CDI distinguished Ss with general emotional distress from normal schoolchildren. However, differences between CDI scores of depressed (DSM-III) and nondepressed Ss were not significant. There was a good correspondence between the CDI and self-report measures of self-concept. It is suggested that the CDI measures a multidimensional construct that overlaps with other childhood disorders (particularly anxiety). Although the CDI may be the best researched instrument available to measure depression from the child's viewpoint, more work is needed before it can be interpreted with confidence in clinical and research settings. (52 ref)