The 13- and 20-Item Hopkins Symptom Checklist Depression Scale: Psychometric Properties in Primary Care Patients with Minor Depression or Dysthymia

Objective:Depression scales that are responsive to changes in clinical symptoms are important for clinical monitoring and outcomes assessment in longitudinal studies. We evaluated the psychometric properties and responsiveness to clinical change of the 13- and 20-item versions of the Hopkins Symptom Checklist Depression Scale (HSCL-D).Methods:A secondary data analysis from a large 11-week, multicenter clinical trial, comparing three treatments was performed. Adult patients with minor depression or dysthymia and a score of ≥ 10 on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) were recruited from primary care clinics. Item-total correlations and Cronbach alphas were computed for HSCL-D-13 and HSCL-D-20. Clinical response at 11 weeks was defined by a Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) < 10, clinical remission by a HDRS < 7, and criterion symptom remission by ≤ 1 DSM-III-R criterion symptoms. Standardized effect sizes and Guyatt's responsiveness statistic were determined for the 13- and 20-item HSCL-D.Resu...