Evaluating Screening Tests for Depression in Post-Stroke Older Adults

Factor structure and reliability of the symptom measurement of post-stroke depression in the rehabilitation stage

BACKGROUND

The incidence of Post Stroke Depression (PSD) in the Rehabilitation Stage is high, which can bring serious physical and psychological disorders to patients. However, there is still a lack of targeted tools for screening PSD in the rehabilitation stage. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the factor structure and reliability of a measurement instrument to screen for PSD in the rehabilitation stage.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted on 780 hospitalized stroke patients who were within the rehabilitation stage from May to August 2020. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) as well as first- and second-order confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were performed to evaluate the factor structure of the newly developed Symptom Measurement of Post-Stroke Depression in the Rehabilitation Stage (SMPSD-RS). The reliability and validity of the SMPSD-RS were also verified using several statistical methods.

RESULTS

EFA extracted a 24-item, five-factor (cognition, sleep, behavior, emotion, and obsession) model that can clinically explain the symptoms of PSD during the rehabilitation stage. A first-order CFA confirmed the EFA model with good model fit indices, and the second-order CFA further confirmed the five-factor structure model and showed acceptable model fit indices. Acceptable reliability and validity were also achieved by the corresponding indicators.

CONCLUSION

The SMPSD-RS was proven to have a stable factor structure and was confirmed to be reliable and valid for assessing PSD symptoms in stroke patients during the rehabilitation stage.

Effect of nonpharmacological interventions on poststroke depression: a network meta-analysis

Purpose

To investigate the effects of nonpharmacological interventions (NPIs) on poststroke depression (PSD) in stroke patients.

Methods

Computer searches were conducted on the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), and Wanfang databases from their establishment to December 2023. The selection was made using the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and 40 articles were included to compare the effects of the 17 NPIs on patients with PSD.

Results

Forty studies involving seventeen interventions were included. The network findings indicated that compared with conventional therapy (COT), superior PSD improvement was observed for cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) + acupoint acupuncture (CBTA) (mean difference [MD], -4.25; 95% CI, -5.85 to -2.65), team positive psychotherapy (MD, -4.05; 95% CI, -5.53 to -2.58), music therapy (MT) + positive psychological intervention (MD, -2.25; 95% CI, -3.65 to -0.85), CBT (MD, -1.52; 95% CI, -2.05 to -0.99), mindfulness-based stress reduction (MD, -1.14; 95% CI, -2.14 to -0.14), MT (MD, -0.95; 95% CI, -1.39 to -0.52), acupoint acupuncture + MT (AAMT) (MD, -0.69; 95% CI, -1.25 to -0.14). Furthermore, CBT (MD, -3.87; 95% CI, -4.57 to -3.17), AAMT (MD, -1.02; 95% CI, -1.41 to -0.62), acupressure + MT (MD, -0.91; 95% CI, -1.27 to -0.54), and narrative care + acupressure (MD, -0.74; 95% CI, -1.19 to -0.29) demonstrated superior Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) improvement compared with COT.

Conclusion

Evidence from systematic reviews and meta-analyses suggests that CBTA improves depression in patients with PSD. Moreover, CBT improves sleep in these patients. Additional randomized controlled trials are required to further investigate the efficacy and mechanisms of these interventions.

Inclusion of currently diagnosed or treated individuals in studies of depression screening tool accuracy: a meta-research review of studies published in 2018-2021

OBJECTIVES

Screening is done to improve health outcomes by identifying and effectively treating individuals with unrecognized conditions. Depression screening has been proposed to identify previously unrecognized depression cases. Including individuals already diagnosed or treated for depression in screening test accuracy studies could exaggerate accuracy and the yield of new cases from screening. The present study investigated (1) the proportion of depression screening tool accuracy primary studies published in 2018-2021 that excluded individuals with a confirmed depression diagnosis or who were already undergoing treatment; and (2) whether this has improved since the last review of studies published in 2013-2015, which found that five of 89 (5.6%) primary studies appropriately excluded such individuals.

METHODS

MEDLINE was searched from January 1, 2018 through May 21, 2021 for primary studies on depression screening tool accuracy.

RESULTS

Eighteen of 106 (17.0%; 95% Confidence Interval [CI], 11.0% to 25.3%) primary studies excluded currently diagnosed or treated individuals. This was 11.4% (95% CI, 2.8% to 20.0%) greater than in similar studies published in 2013-2015.

CONCLUSION

There has been an improvement since 2015, but the proportion of studies that exclude individuals already known to have depression remains low. This may bias research findings intended to inform clinical practice.

Mood disorders in children following neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy

Background

Few studies on the consequences following newborn hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (NHIE) assess the risk of mood disorders (MD), although these are prevalent after ischemic brain injury in adults.

Objective

To study the presence of MD in children survivors of NHIE.

Methods

14 children survivors of NHIE treated with hypothermia and without cerebral palsy and 15 healthy children without perinatal complications were studied aged three to six years for developmental status (Ages and Stages Questionnaire 3 [ASQ-3]) and for socio-emotional status (Preschool Symptom Self-Report [PRESS] and Child Behavior Checklist [CBCL] 1.5–5 tests). Maternal depression was assessed using Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). Socio-economic factors such as parental educational level or monthly income were also studied.

Results

NHIE children did not present delay but scored worse than healthy children for all ASQ3 items. NHIE children showed higher scores than healthy children for PRESS as well as for anxious/depressive symptoms and aggressive behavior items of CBCL. In addition, in three NHIE children the CBCL anxious/depressive symptoms item score exceeded the cutoff value for frank pathology (P = 0.04 vs healthy children). There were no differences in the other CBCL items as well as in maternal MADRS or parental educational level or monthly income. Neither ASQ3 scores nor MADRS score or socio-economic factors correlated with PRESS or CBCL scores.

Conclusions

In this exploratory study children survivors of NHIE showed increased risk of developing mood disturbances, in accordance with that reported for adults after brain ischemic insults. Considering the potential consequences, such a possibility warrants further research.

Prevalence, predictors, and prognoses of prestroke neuropsychiatric symptoms at 3 months poststroke

OBJECTIVES

Prior neuropsychiatric disturbances are risk factors for stroke. There is a knowledge gap on the predictors of prestroke psychopathology, as well as their association with stroke outcomes in survivors living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We estimated prevalence, predictors, and association of prestroke neuropsychiatric symptoms with poststroke depression (PSD), disability, and mortality.

DESIGN

Prospective observation.

SETTING

Nigeria.

PARTICIPANTS

Adult ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke survivors.

MEASUREMENTS

Prestroke psychopathology were ascertained using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (NPI-Q). Outcomes were assessed using validated tools, including the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies - Depression Scale (CES-D 10) and modified Rankin scale (mRS). Independent associations were investigated using regression models with Bonferroni corrections, and presented as standardized mean differences (SMD) and odds ratios (OR) within 95% confidence intervals (CI).

RESULTS

Among 150 participants, prestroke neuropsychiatric symptoms were found in 78 (52%). In multivariate logistic regression analyses, prestroke sleep disturbance was associated with systemic hypertension (OR = 5.39, 95% CI = 1.70-17.08). Prestroke neuropsychiatric symptoms independently predicted worse motor disability scores (SMD = 0.92, 95% CI = 0.21-1.62) and greater odds of poststroke mortality (OR = 2.7, 95% CI = 1.1-7.0) at 3 months. However, prestroke depression was not significantly associated with PSD.

CONCLUSION

Prestroke sleep disturbances was associated with systemic hypertension, a key index of high cardiovascular risk profile and stroke. The findings should energize before-the-stroke identification and prioritization of limited treatment resources in LMICs to persons with sleep symptoms who have multiple, additional, risks of stroke.

The validity and reliability of the PHQ-9 in screening for post-stroke depression

BACKGROUND

Depression affects about 30% of stroke survivors within 5 years. Timely diagnosis and management of post-stroke depression facilitate motor recovery and improve independence. The original version of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) is recognized as a good screening tool for post-stroke depression. However, no validation studies have been undertaken for the use of the Thai PHQ-9 in screening for depression among Thai stroke patients.

METHODS

The objectives were to determine the criterion validity and reliability of the Thai PHQ-9 in screening for post-stroke depression by comparing its results with those of a psychiatric interview as the gold standard. First-ever stroke patients aged ≥45 years with a stroke duration 2 weeks-2 years were administered the Thai PHQ-9. The gold standard was a psychiatric interview leading to a DSM-5 diagnosis of depressive disorder and adjustment disorder with a depressed mood. The summed-scored-based diagnosis of depression with the PHQ-9 was obtained. Validity and reliability analyses, and a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, were performed.

RESULTS

In all, 115 stroke patients with a mean age of 64 years (SD: 10 years) were enrolled. The mean PHQ-9 score was 5.2 (SD: 4.8). Using the DSM-5 criteria, 11 patients (9.6%) were diagnosed with depressive disorder, 12 patients (10.5%) were diagnosed with adjustment disorder with a depressed mood. Both disorders were combined as a group of post-stroke depression. The Thai PHQ-9 had satisfactory internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha: 0.78). The algorithm-based diagnosis of the Thai PHQ-9 had low sensitivity (0.52) but very high specificity (0.94) and positive likelihood ratio (9.6). Used as a summed-scored-based diagnosis, an optimal cut-off score of six revealed a sensitivity of 0.87, specificity of 0.75, positive predictive value of 0.46, negative predictive value of 0.95, and positive likelihood ratio of 3.5. The area under the curve was 0.87 (95% CI: 0.78-0.96).

CONCLUSIONS

The Thai PHQ-9 has acceptable psychometric properties for detecting a mixture of major depression and adjustment disorder in post-stroke patients, with a recommended cut-off score of ≥6 for a Thai population.

Comparative efficacy of nine antidepressants in treating Chinese patients with post-stroke depression: A network meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The efficacy ranking of antidepressants for post-stroke depression (PSD) has not been assessed thoroughly yet due to the lack of network meta-analyses with sufficiently large sample size.

METHODS

Seven databases including PubMed, Embase, CENTRAL, CBM, CNKI, WanFang and VIP were systematically searched for eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) regarding nine antidepressants (citalopram, escitalopram, venlafaxine, paroxetine, duloxetine, amitriptyline, doxepin, sertraline and mirtazapine) treating PSD patients. Stata 15 software and R software were utilized for statistical analyses.

RESULTS

51 RCTs were included in this NMA. For the key efficacy outcomes, escitalopram, mirtazapine, sertraline, citalopram, venlafaxine and paroxetine were associated with larger reduction of the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) total score compared with placebo at 2 weeks. Among the nine antidepressants, escitalopram ranked the best while amitriptyline was the least helpful. At 4 weeks, citalopram ranked higher than placebo and the other eight antidepressants. In contrast, amitriptyline and doxepin were associated with minimal reduction of HAMD score. At 8 weeks, changes in HAMD score were significantly greater in nine antidepressants groups compared to placebo group. Besides, mirtazapine ranked higher than citalopram and escitalopram. At endpoint, mirtazapine was related to the highest response rate, followed by venlafaxine and escitalopram, respectively.

LIMITATIONS

No restriction was imposed on doses of every antidepressant.

CONCLUSIONS

Escitalopram was associated with a quicker relief of depression, but mirtazapine was probably the best option when it comes to the efficacy of 8-week treatment duration. Amitriptyline and doxepin were nearly the worst choice regardless of the duration (2, 4 or 8 weeks).