Self-rating Depression Scale Total Score Research Articles

Depression Among University Students With Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms: A Study of Interpersonal Counseling.

University students with symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often experience depression. This study examined whether interpersonal counseling (IPC) could be an effective treatment for depression among students with ADHD symptoms. Participants were assigned to either an IPC (N=5) or control (N=7) group. Depression was assessed by using the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) at baseline, postintervention, and at 4-, 8-, and 12-week follow-ups. No significant changes in the SDS total score were observed for either group at each postintervention point. However, the IPC group showed a large effect size at the 4- and 12-week follow-ups. A significant intergroup difference was observed after 4 weeks. No significant intergroup difference was observed after 12 weeks, but there was a large effect size. IPC appeared to have effects at 4 weeks postintervention. Because this was an exploratory study, further research is necessary.

Psychological Resilience as a Protective Factor for Depression and Anxiety Among the Public During the Outbreak of COVID-19.

BackgroundPsychological resilience may reduce the impact of psychological distress to some extent. We aimed to investigate the mental health status of the public during the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and explore the level and related factors of anxiety and depression.MethodsFrom February 8 to March 9, 2020, 3,180 public completed the Zung’s Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) for anxiety, Zung’s Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) for depression, the Connor–Davidson resilience scale (CD-RISC) for psychological resilience, and the Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire (SCSQ) for the attitudes and coping styles.ResultsThe number of people with depressive symptoms (SDS > 53) was 1,303 (the rate was 41.0%). The number of people with anxiety symptoms (SAS > 50) was 1,184 (the rate was 37.2%). The depressed group and anxiety group had less education, more unmarried and younger age, as well as had significant different in SDS total score (P < 0.001), SAS total score (P < 0.001), CD-RISC total score (P < 0.001), and SCSQ score (P < 0.001). The binary logistic regression showed that female (B = -0.261, P = 0.026), strength (B = -0.079, P = 0.000), and the subscales of active coping style in SCSQ (B = -0.983, P = 0.000) remained protective factors and passive coping style (B = 0.293, P = 0.003) and higher SAS score (B = 0.175, P = 0.000) were risk factors for depression. Optimism (B = -0.041, P = 0.015) in CD-RISC was a protective factor, and passive coping styles (B = 0.483, P = 0.000) and higher SDS score (B = 0.134, P = 0.000) were risk factors for anxiety.LimitationsThis study adopted a cross-sectional design and used self-report questionnaires.ConclusionThe mental health of the public, especially females, the younger and less educational populations, and unmarried individuals, should be given more attention. Individuals with high level of mental resilience and active coping styles would have lower levels of anxiety and depression during the outbreak of COVID-19.

The Comprehensive Analyses of Mental Status in COVID-19 Patients, Health Care Workers and General Population During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: The mental status of patients with Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) (PCs), health care workers (HCWs) exposed to the COVID-19, and general population (GP) has be reported. However, no studies comprehensively investigated their mental status. Thus, this study investigated the prevalence, comparisons and risk factors of mental problems among three groups during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: 1300 participants including 137 PCs, 159 HCWs and 1003 GP were enrolled. The anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress symptom (PTSS) were assessed by the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C). Findings: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the prevalence of anxiety, depression and PTSS were 21.7%, 76.1% and 19.5% in PCs, 9.3%, 25.3% and 9.5% in HCWs, and 12.7%, 25.8% and 6.9% in GP, respectively. The SAS, SDS and PCL-C total scores differed among three groups after controlling for covariates (all, pInterpretation: Our data revealed the high prevalence of mental problems among PCs, HCWs and GP, and more serious mental problems in PCs than HCWs and GP as well as the significant effects of having friend or relative infected, married and age 30-40 years on mental problems in the different population during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, these findings further suggested that mental problems in the different population should adopt the different psychological interventions to reduce their mental distress caused by the COVID-19.Funding Statement: This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81771439), Jiangsu Provincial Key Research and Development Program (BE2018662), Jiangsu Provincial Health Commission Science Research Program (QNRC2016228, H2019056 and LGY2018010), Jiangsu Provincial Six Talent Peaks Project (WSN-165), Suzhou Municipal Sci-Tech Bureau Program (SS2019009), and CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology (KLMH2019K03).Declaration of Interests: The authors declared no conflict of interest.Ethics Approval Statement: The protocol, questionnaire and informed consent of this study were approved by the Institutional Review Board at the Affiliated Guangji Hospital of Soochow University.

The Correlation of Family Resilience with Sleep Quality and Depression of Parents of Children with Epilepsy

PurposeThe present study aims to investigate the correlation between family resilience, sleep quality, and depression in parents of children with epilepsy. Design and methodsThe parents of 157 children with epilepsy were assessed using the shortened Chinese version of the Family Resilience Assessment Scale (FRAS-SC) to measure the resilience level of families of children with epilepsy. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to determine the sleep quality of the subjects. The Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), a self-rating scale for evaluating depression, was used. ResultsThe FRAS-SC total score was 97.9 ± 9.0. The PSQI total score was 6.41 ± 3.79, and the detection rate of sleep disorders was 37.6%. The SDS total score was 51.63 ± 10.73, and the detection rate of moderate–severe depressive symptoms was 21.6%. The FRAS-SC total score and all items (except USR) were negatively correlated with the PSQI total score (P < .05). The FRAS-SC total score and all items were significantly and negatively correlated with the SDS total score (P < .01). The degree of explanation of family resilience for sleep quality and depression was 3.5% and 14.9%, respectively. ConclusionsThe higher the level of family resilience, the better sleep quality and the less depression the parents of children with epilepsy will get. Practical implicationsRelevant intervention measures based on family resilience will help to improve the sleep quality of parents of children with epilepsy and alleviate depression. And then improve the family's ability to care for children with epilepsy.

Validation of the Zung self-rating depression scale (SDS) in older adults

Objective: The main objective of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) and evaluate screening parameters capability of the SDS with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-21) among the elderly population.Design: A population-based studySetting: CommunitySubjects: 520 adults, aged 72–73 years, living in the city of Oulu, Finland.Main outcome measures: The screening parameters of the SDS questions and BDI-21 for detecting severity of depression. The Mini Neuropsychiatric Interview for diagnosing major depression.Results: The optimal cut-off point for the SDS was 39. The sensitivity and specificity parameters for this cut-off point were 79.2% (95% CI 57.8–92.9) and 72.2% (95% CI 67.9–76.1), respectively. Positive and negative predictive values were 12.5% (95% CI 7.7–18.8) and 98.6% (95% CI 96.7–99.5), respectively. Moreover, there was no statistically significant difference in diagnostic accuracy indices of the cut-off points 39 and 40. In a receiver operating characteristic analysis, the area under the curve was 0.85 (95%CI 0.77–0.92) for the SDS total score and 0.89 (95% CI 0.83-0.96) for the BDI-21 (p = 0.137).Conclusion: Using the traditional cut-off point, the SDS was convenient for identifying clinically meaningful depressive symptoms in an elderly Finnish population when compared with the BDI-21 which is one of the most commonly used depression screening scales. The sensitivity and specificity of these two screening tools are comparable.Based on our study, the SDS is convenient for identifying clinically meaningful depressive symptoms among older adults at the community level.Key pointsThe widely used Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) has not previously been validated among elderly people at the community level.The sensitivity and specificity of SDS (cut-off point 39) were 79.2% and 72.2%.The positive and negative predictive values for SDS were 12.5% and 98.6%.SDS is convenient for identifying major depression in an elderly population and regarding sensitivity and specificity comparable to BDI-21.

Effects of Chronic L-theanine on Stress-related Symptoms and Cognitive Function in a Non-clinical Population: A Randomized Controlled Trial (P06-106-19)

ObjectivesThis randomized, placebo-controlled, and double-blind, crossover study aimed to investigate the effects of chronic L-theanine (Suntheanine®) administration on stress-related symptoms and cognitive functions in a non-clinical population. MethodsParticipants were 9 men and 21 women (mean age: 48.3 ± 11.9 years) who had no psychiatric illness of clinical level. L-theanine (200 mg/day) or placebo tablets were randomly assigned to participants for 4 weeks administration. After 2 weeks of wash-out period, the crossover study was continued for 4 weeks. Stress related symptoms were assessed using Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Cognitive functions were assessed with Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS). ResultsSDS, STAI-trait, and PSQI scores significantly decreased after 4 weeks of L-theanine administration, while there were no significant changes after placebo. Verbal fluency and executive function scores of BACS significantly increased (p = 0.001 and 0.031) after L-theanine, but not placebo, administration. Changes in sleep latency, sleep disturbance, and use of sleep medication subscales of PSQI were significantly better in the L-theanine than in the placebo group. Changes in SDS and PSQI total scores also tended to be better in L-theanine than in placebo group. The rate of individuals who showed an improvement in BACS executive function score (5 or more) was significantly greater in L-theanine group than in placebo group. There was no significant adverse event after chronic L-theanine administration. ConclusionsThe results suggest that 4 weeks of L-theanine (200 mg/day) administration is safe and effective on stress-related symptoms and cognitive functions in a non-clinical population. Funding SourcesThis research was funded by Taiyo Kagaku, Co. Ltd.

Relationship between depression and movement quality in normal young adults.

[Purpose] Somatic symptoms, such as hyposomnia and anorexia, can affect depression and result in decreased movement quality; however, the relationship between movement quality and somatic symptoms is unclear. The present study investigated the characteristics of this relationship using observable posture and movements. [Participants and Methods] Twenty healthy young adults (mean age 20.9 ± 0.4 years) participated in the study. First, we administered the Self-rating Depression Scale questionnaire to the participants. Second, a qualified physical therapist assessed the movement quality of the volunteers using the Body Awareness Rating Scale-Movement Quality and Experience. We classified the participants into high- and low-score groups based on their Self-rating Depression Scale scores and then analyzed the Body Awareness Rating Scale-Movement Quality and Experience scores in both groups. [Results] There was a significant difference in the movement quality between the Self-rating Depression Scale high- and low-score groups. The Self-rating Depression Scale total score ranged from 20 to 80, with higher scores indicating a greater severity of depression. The low-score group had higher scores for the Body Awareness Rating Scale-Movement Quality and Experience than the high-score group in all items. [Conclusion] The present study showed that movement quality was related to symptoms of depression, thereby suggesting that early detection and treatment interventions for depression are possible by an assessment of movement quality.

Assessment of Quality of Life in Chinese Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease and their Caregivers.

Chronic diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) usually affect the psychological status and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of patients and their caregivers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of anxiety, depression, and HRQOL and find the risk factors predictive of HRQOL in IBD patients and their caregivers in a Chinese population. One hundred four adult patients with IBD, 102 family caregivers, and 99 healthy controls were enrolled. They completed self-administered surveys related to QOL and psychological questionnaires, including the Short Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (patients only), the Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36), Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), and Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS). Both the mean SAS total score and the mean SDS total score among the patients and the caregivers were found to be significantly higher than those among the general population (P < 0.05). Total SF-36 score was significantly different between the patients and the general population (P = 0.001), and between caregivers and the general population (P = 0.011). The result showed that the total SF-36 score of the patients had a significant negative correlation with SAS score in the patients (P = 0.040), SDS score in the patients (P = 0.004), annual income (P = 0.036), use of biologicals (P = 0.028), frequency of hospitalization in the last year (P = 0.033), and severity of IBD (P = 0.021). The total SF-36 score of the caregivers was significantly and negatively correlated with SDS score in the caregivers (P = 0.010), SDS score in the patients (P = 0.010), use of biologicals (P = 0.013), and frequency of hospitalization in the last year (P = 0.010) of the patients. A large proportion of IBD patients and their caregivers experience a high level of anxiety and depression and an impaired HRQOL. Higher levels of anxiety and depression, annual income, use of biologicals, higher frequency of hospitalization in the last year, and disease activity were independent predictors of reduced patient HRQOL; higher levels of depression in both caregivers and patients, use of biologicals, and frequency of hospitalization in the last year of the patients were independent predictors of reduced caregiver HRQOL.

The Effect of Interpersonal Counseling for Subthreshold Depression in Undergraduates: An Exploratory Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background Subthreshold depression and poor stress coping strategies are major public health problems among undergraduates. Interpersonal counseling (IPC) is a brief structured psychological intervention originally designed for use in primary care to treat depressive patients whose symptoms arose from current life stress. Objectives This study examined the efficacy of IPC in treating subthreshold depression and coping strategies among undergraduates in school counseling. Materials and MethodsWe carried out an exploratory randomized controlled trial comparing the efficacy of IPC with counseling as usual (CAU). Participants were 31 undergraduates exhibiting depression without a psychiatric diagnosis. ResultsThe Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale total score decreased significantly in the IPC group (n = 15; Z = −2.675, p = .007), but not in the CAU group (n = 16). The task-oriented coping score of the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations showed a tendency towards a greater increase in the IPC group than in the CAU group (t = 1.919, df = 29, p = .065). ConclusionsThe IPC might be more useful for student counseling because it can teach realistic coping methods and reduce depressive symptoms in a short period. Further studies using more participants are required.

Frequency and risk factor analysis of cognitive and anxiety-depressive disorders in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/motor neuron disease.

ObjectivesTo examine the frequency and risk factors of cognitive and anxiety-depressive disorders in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/motor neuron disease (ALS/MND).MethodsThis was an observational study of 100 ALS/MND patients treated at our hospital outpatient and inpatient departments between January 2009 and April 2010 and 100 matched healthy controls. Subjects were surveyed using Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), and Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS). Patient neurological status was graded by the ALS Functional Rating Scale (ALSFRS). Multivariate linear regression was used to identify factors associated with the MMSE, SAS, SDS, and ALSFRS scores.ResultsPatients had significantly lower MMSE scores than controls (P<0.05). MMSE score did not differ by sex or age (<50/≥50 years) (P>0.05). Patients with higher educational level (college and above), shorter disease course (<2 years), and lower ALSFRS score (<20) had significantly higher MMSE scores (all P<0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that higher education, shorter disease course, and lower ALSFRS score were independent predictors of better cognitive function (higher MMSE score). Patients had significantly higher mean SAS and SDS total scores than controls (both P<0.05), indicating higher subjective anxiety and depression. Female patients, patients with higher education, and those with higher ALSFRS scores had significantly higher SAS and SDS scores (all P<0.05). Age, occupation, diagnostic classification, disease duration, and disease awareness did not influence SAS or SDS scores. Multivariate analysis indicated that lower education and lower ALSFRS were protective factors against anxiety and depression.ConclusionThe frequency of anxiety-depressive disorders was high among patients with ALS/MND. High educational level, short course of disease, and lower ALSFRS were associated with preserved cognitive function. Female sex, higher education, and lower ALSFRS score conferred a greater risk of anxiety and depression. Tailored pharmacotherapy and psychological interventions may help in reducing anxiety and depression in these patients.

Effect of nursing intervention on rehabilitation of stroke patients with hemiplegia

Objective To explore the effect of nursing intervention on rehabilitation of stroke patients with hemiplegia.Methods 60 cases of hemiplegic patients after stroke were divided into the control group and the experimental group with 30 cases in each group randomly.The rehabilitation status was evaluated and compared using self rating depression scale (SDS) and activities of daily living (ADL) scale before and after intervention.Results After nursing intervention,ADL score and SDS score were better,treatment effect was also better,but SDS total score showed no significant difference.Conclusions Nursing intervention can effectively reduce or eliminate depression of patients after stroke,strengthen subjective initiative of patients,so that patients can actively cooperate with the treatment,and promote disease rehabilitation. Key words: Stroke; Hemiplegia; Rehabilitation; Nursing

Relationship and Differential Validity of Alexithymia and Depression: A Comparison of the Toronto Alexithymia and Self-Rating Depression Scales

Theoretically, the constructs of alexithymia and depression share many common characteristics. Empirically moderate correlations between measures of alexithymia and depression have been found, hence it has been argued that the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS) may be, at least in some part, just another measure for depression. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the construct validity of alexithymia and to analyze the relationship between alexithymia and depression. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted on the combined items of the TAS-20 and the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) in a psychosomatic and alcoholic inpatient sample (n = 199) and a sample of normal adults (controls, n = 174). The exploratory factor analysis in the patient sample yielded a 4-factor structure. Within each factor there was no overlap between the items of the TAS-20 and the SDS. Two factors were comprised of items of the TAS-20 and two factors consisted of items of the SDS. This 4-factor model also showed an acceptable fit for the data of the normal sample in a confirmatory factor analysis. Moderate correlations between the TAS- 20 and SDS total scores and some factors were found. Both instruments, the TAS-20 and the SDS, seem to measure distinct constructs and are not just different measures for the same underlying construct. This provides support for the differential validity of the alexithymia and depression constructs and is in accordance with previous findings.

Physical and mental correlates of hearing impairment in the elderly in Japan.

Seven hundred and forty seven elderly people aged from 65 to 98 (209 male and 538 female) admitted to the Geriatric Health Service Facility were evaluated with pure-tone audiometry, Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (OPCS) personal care severity score, OPCS hearing severity score, Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE) and Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS). A single correlation study indicated that the hearing level significantly correlated with age, OPCS hearing severity score, MMSE total score and SDS total score. A multiple regression analysis showed that age, OPCS hearing severity score, and MMSE total score were significantly associated with the hearing level. We demonstrated here that the objective auditory function strongly correlated with the cognitive function measured by MMSE total score, suggesting that a regular audiological check-up and the early detection of the hearing impairment could contribute to the maintenance of the quality of life in the elderly.

Relationship between Set 2 of the Depression Adjective Check Lists (DACL) and Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS)

This paper reports the relationship between Set 2 of the Depression Adjective Check Lists and the Self-rating Depression Scale. Psychiatric inpatients (Admission Wards, N = 51; Intensive Treatment Wards, N = 54) and 47 student nurses completed the DACL and the SDS which were presented in random order. All rs among the 3 lists of Set 2 of the DACL and the SDS total score were significant ( p = .01). All rs between the 3 DACLs and SDS factors (Pervasive Affect, Physiological Equivalents, and Psychological Equivalents) were significant, except that rs between Pervasive Affect and DACLs were not significant for the student nurse group. As Pervasive Affect seems to refer to the chronicity of the syndrome, the nonsignificant rs for this group are expected.