Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Lebanese-Arabic translation of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale for Children (CES-DC) in preadolescents, early and late adolescents in Lebanon. The CES-DC is a 20 item self-report scale developed to measure depressive symptoms in children and adolescents. A total of 650 pupils ranging in age from 10–18 years, participated in this investigation. Participants were also asked to complete two questionnaires the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale (SCAS) and the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). The CES-DC Lebanese- Arabic version for this study demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach Alpha=0.90). It was found that the four-factor structure model suggested by Radloff can be replicated in Lebanon. The CES-DC total scores correlated significantly with the SCAS total scores and the SDQ emotional symptoms subscale, providing support for its convergent validity. To conclude, the CES-DC proved to be a reliable and valid measure of depressive symptoms in the Lebanese context. Scores of depressive symptoms differed significantly by age, gender and were higher than scores of adolescents in other countries.
Highlights
Adolescence is an important developmental stage in the lifespan and is characterized by many changes among which are physical and psychosocial
The main aim of this study is to explore the psychometric properties of the CES-DC and its factor structure when used with preadolescents, early and late adolescents in Lebanon
Previous studies using the CES-DC in other countries, as well as a study conducted within Lebanon using CES-D showed a relatively low factor loading for this item; in the present study, item 4 was omitted from further analysis
Summary
Adolescence is an important developmental stage in the lifespan and is characterized by many changes among which are physical and psychosocial. In Western countries 13-25% of adolescents will experience a mental disorder in their life time [1,2]. Adolescence seems to be a high-risk period for depression and anxiety disorders [3,4]. Depression is one of most common psychological disorders in adolescence [9,10]. Depression in adolescence is associated with poor academic performance, substance abuse, attempted or completed suicide, and an increased risk for recurrence in adulthood [11,12]. Satisfaction in life is decreased [13]. Assessment during this high-risk period can make the difference in early intervention and prevention of depression or a prolonged life of suffering
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