Preliminary Psychometrics of the Neurological Disorders Depression Inventory for Epilepsy–Youth. (November 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wagner, Janelle L.; Smith, Gigi; Ferguson, Pamela L.; Fedele, David A.
• Is Part Of: Journal of child neurology. Volume 28:Number 11(2013)
• Page Start: 1392
• Page End: 1399
• Publication Date: 2013-11
• Subjects: depression -- mental health screening -- epilepsy; Nervous system -- Diseases -- Periodicals; 618.928
• DOI: 10.1177/0883073813483367
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0883-0738

Abstract

The authors examined the preliminary psychometrics of a depression screening tool for youth with epilepsy. Development involved content analysis, cognitive interviewing, and qualitative analysis. Ninety-three youths with epilepsy aged 10 to 17 years completed the Neurological Disorders Depression Inventory for Epilepsy–Youth and the depression module of a standardized clinical interview. Caregivers rated seizure severity and completed the Pediatric Symptom Checklist. Results indicated strong reliability indices, including test-retest, κ value, and internal consistency for the Neurological Disorders Depression Inventory for Epilepsy–Youth. It was significantly associated with the other measures of depression and psychosocial functioning. Factor analyses revealed a 1-factor solution for 9 items, with 35.7% of the variance explained. An optimal cutoff score of 27 resulted in a sensitivity index of 0.80 and a specificity index of 0.71. The Neurological Disorders Depression Inventory for Epilepsy–Youth is a screening tool that can be utilized in routine epilepsy care, but further evaluation is necessary.