Using the CES-D in a two-phase survey for depressive disorders among nonreferred adolescents in Taipei: a stratum-specific likelihood ratio analysis

Background: Efficient screening is important in two-phase surveys. We examined whether the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) is an appropriate instrument for screening depressive disorders among adolescents in Taipei, an ethnic group whose depression is little known of. Methods: Among the 2440 students of a school in Taipei, aged 12 to 16 years who completed the CES-D and eating attitude test (EAT; response rate=98.5%), 178 were randomly selected from four subgroups defined by the 90th percentile of the two screening tools for face-to-face interview, using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for Children (K-SADS). Discriminatory validities of instruments for depressive disorders were estimated, and then a stratum-specific likelihood ratio (SSLR) analysis was conducted for instruments with sufficient validity. Results: The prevalence estimates of depressive disorders varied with different levels of impairment, with a value of 2.4% for major depressive disorder and 0.3% for dysthymic disorder if at least two impairment items were endorsed. The areas under the receiver operative characteristic (ROC) curves were consistently high (0.88–0.90) for major depressive disorder with or without impairment requirement, but low (0.49) for dysthymic disorder without impairment requirement. Three strata of CES-D scores (0–28, 29–48, and ≥49) were derived for major depressive disorder with (SSLR=0.63, 3.00, and 11.75) and without (SSLR=0.61, 5.09, and 10.42) impairment requirement. Conclusions: The CES-D is useful in screening for major depressive disorder among nonreferred adolescents. Three strata are recommended for its practical application.