Validation of the Chinese version of the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression in adults with epilepsy

Abstract Objective This study aimed to validate the Chinese version of the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (C-HRSD-17) for use in adult patients with epilepsy (PWE). Methods A consecutive sample of Chinese adult PWE from a tertiary hospital was examined using the C-HRSD-17 and the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) Plus Chinese Version 5.0.0. Results A total of 191 PWE completed the assessment of depression. According to the MINI, thirty patients (15.7%) had current major depressive disorder (MDD). The Cronbach's α coefficient for the C-HRSD-17 was 0.832. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis showed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.983 (95% CI = 0.968–0.998). With a cutoff score of 9, the C-HRSD-17 demonstrated the best psychometric properties, with a sensitivity of 96.7%, a specificity of 93.8%, a positive predictive value (PPV) of 74.4%, and a negative predictive value (NPV) of 99.3%. Conclusion The C-HRSD-17 proved to be a valid and reliable assessment tool, with a cutoff score of 9 for screening of current MDD in Chinese adult PWE.