Change Score and Subscore Precision and Reliability of the Children's Depression Inventory

The Child Depression Inventory (CDI) is often used to assess change in depression over time, but no studies estimate the reliability of CDI change scores nor its five subscores. Our study investigated the reliability of change scores for both the total score on the CDI as well as its five subscores. We examined CDI responses from 186 maltreated children and estimated change score reliability for relative (e.g., comparison) and absolute (e.g., diagnosis) purposes. We also conducted subscore utility analysis, which determines if subscores have adequate reliability and provide information beyond the total score. We found that the total change score had acceptable reliability of .70 for our sample for both relative and absolute interpretations. In addition, the total score was a better predictor of true subscore values than the observed subscores-suggesting subscores did not add value over the total score, and that the reliability of changes in subscores was too low to be useful for any purpose. In summary, we found that the total CDI change scores were useful for assessing change in studies that examine relative or absolute change, and we advise caution when interpreting CDI subscores based on our analysis.

Effect of low glycaemic diet and structured exercise on quality of life and psychosocial functions in children with epilepsy

Objective

The study aimed to investigate the combined effects of structured exercise therapy and a low glycaemic diet on quality of life and psychosocial functions in children with epilepsy.

Methods

Forty-two subjects aged 11 to 17 years and diagnosed with refractory epilepsy were recruited. Structured home-based exercise and a low glycaemic diet designed by exercise and diet specialists were administered for 6 months. The Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI) and the Quality of Life in Childhood Epilepsy Questionnaire (QOLCE-55) were administrated to compare the effects of the combined treatment after 6 months.

Results

Participants’ mean (±standard deviation) age was 13.1 ± 2.3 years and mean epilepsy duration was 8.9 ± 4.2 years. The seizure frequency was approximately two to four/day per week in 28 cases and five per day/week in 8 cases. After the study period, there was a significant improvement in seizure frequency and in scores on the CDI and QOLCE-55 scales.

Conclusion

Combined therapy demonstrated a promising improvement in seizure frequency, depression level and quality of life in children with epilepsy.

A Factor Analysis and Test of Longitudinal Measurement Invariance of the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) Across Adolescence

Depression increases dramatically during adolescence. This finding has been demonstrated using multiple measures, including the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI). The CDI is one of the most commonly used measures to assess depression in youth. However, there is little agreement on its factor structure, and it is possible that its factor structure changes over time. Yet, no study to date has investigated whether this structure is longitudinally invariant from early- to mid-adolescence. The present study examined the factor structure of the CDI in a sample of 227 adolescents aged approximately 13 at baseline and 16 at follow-up. The analyses revealed that a one-factor structure was a good fit to the data at each assessment. Moreover, tests of measurement invariance supported configural, metric, and scalar invariance across time. These findings suggest that changes in depressive symptoms during adolescence are due to true developmental changes, rather than changes in measurement properties.