Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-r5zm4 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-16T14:31:06.049Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Assessment of Depression in Children

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 February 2016

Michael J. Fry*
Affiliation:
Private Practice, Mackay, Queensland
*
PO Box 1461, Mackay QLD 4740
Get access

Abstract

The assessment of childhood depression is a function of the definition of depression, namely, a single-symptom, symptom cluster, or categorical approach. Furthermore, the assumptions associated with these approaches underpin the development and selection of assessment devices which fall into three main categories: self-report measures, parent, teacher and peer reports, and diagnostic clinical interviews. In describing, exemplifying, and evaluating these measurement techniques, their relationship with the definitional assumptions will be demonstrated through a critical review of the literature. The related and crucial issues of comorbidity and informant variability will also be examined.

Type
Research papers
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2000

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Achenbach, T.M. (1991a). The derivation of taxonomic constructs: A necessary stage in the development of developmental psychopathology. In Cicchetti, D. & Toth, S. (Eds.), Rochester Symposium on Developmental Psychopathology: Models and integrations. (Vol 3, pp. 4374). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Achenbach, T.M. (1991b). Manual for the Child Behavior Checklist and Child Behavior Profile and 1991 Profile. Burlington: Dept of Psychiatry, University of Vermont.Google Scholar
Achenbach, T.M. (1991c). Manual for the Teacher's Report Form and 1991 Profile. Burlington: Dept of Psychiatry, University of Vermont.Google Scholar
American Psychiatric Association (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 4th ed. Washington, DC: Author.Google Scholar
Birleson, P. (1981). The validity of depressive disorder in childhood and the development of a self-rating scale: A research report. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 22, 7388.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boyle, M.H., & Pickles, A.R. (1997). Influence of maternal depressive symptoms on rating of childhood behaviour. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 25, 399412.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brady, E.U., & Kendall, P.C. (1992). Comorbidity of anxiety and depression in children and adolescents. Psychological Bulletin, 111, 244255.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Carson, R.C., Butcher, J.N., & Mineka, S. (1996). Abnormal psychology and modern life (3rd ed.). New York: HarperCollins.Google Scholar
Clarizio, H.F. (1994). Assessment of depression in children and adolescents by parents, teachers, and peers. In Reynolds, W.M. & Johnston, H.F. (Eds.), Handbook of depression in children and adolescents, (pp. 235248). New York: Plenum Press.Google Scholar
Cloninger, S.C. (1996). Theories of personality: Understanding persons. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.Google Scholar
Cohen, R.J., Swerdlik, M.E., & Phillips, S.M. (1996). Psychological testing and assessment: An introduction to tests and measurement (3rd ed.). Mountain View, California: Mayfield Publishing Company.Google Scholar
Compas, B.E. (1997). Depression in children and adolescents. In Mash, E.J., & Terdal, L.G. (Eds.), Assessment of childhood disorders, (pp. 197229). New York: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Costello, A.J., Edelbrock, L.S., Dulcan, M.K., Kalas, R., & Klaric, S.H. (1984). Report on the NIMH Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (DISC). Washington, DC: National Institute of Mental Health.Google Scholar
Crowley, S.L., Thompson, B., & Worchel, F. (1994). The Children's Depression Inventory: A comparison of generalizability and classical test theory analyses. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 54, 705713.Google Scholar
Fristad, M.A., Emery, B.L., & Beck, S.J. (1997). Use and abuse of the Children's Depression Inventory. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 65, 699702.Google Scholar
Hammen, C. (1990). Cognitive approaches to depression. In Lahey, B.B. & Kazdin, A.E., Advances in clinical child psychology: Volume 13. (pp. 139173). New York: Plenum Press.Google Scholar
Hammen, C., & Rudolph, K.D. (1996). Childhood depression. In Mash, E.J. & Barkley, R.D. (Eds.), Child psychopathology. (pp. 153195). New York: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Hodges, K. (1994). Evaluation of depression in children and adolescents using diagnostic clinical interviews. In Reynolds, W.M. & Johnston, H.F. (Eds.), Handbook of depression in children and adolescents, (pp. 183208). New York: Plenum Press.Google Scholar
Hodges, K., & Fitch, P. (1979). Development of a mental status examination interview for children. Paper presented at the meeting of the Missouri Psychological Assocation, Kansas City, MO.Google Scholar
Kazdin, A.E. (1994). Informant variability in the assessment of childhood depression. In Reynolds, W.M. & Johnston, H.F. (Eds.), Handbook of depression in children and adolescents, (pp. 249271). New York: Plenum Press.Google Scholar
Kendall, P.C., Stark, K.D., & Adam, T. (1990). Cognitive deficit or cognitive distortion in childhood depression. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 18, 255270.Google Scholar
King, C.A., Katz, S.H., Ghaziuddin, N., Brand, E., Hill, E., & McGovern, L. (1997). Diagnosis and assessment of depression and suicidality using the NIMH Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (DISC-2.3). Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 25, 173181.Google Scholar
Kovacs, M. (1983). The Interview Schedule for Children (ISC): Interrater and parent-child agreement. Unpublished manuscript: University of Pittsburgh.Google Scholar
Kovacs, M. (1992). Children's Depression Inventory Manual. North Tonawanda, NY: Multi-Health Systems.Google Scholar
Kovacs, M. (1996). Presentation and course of major depressive disorder during childhood and later years of the life span. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 35, 705715.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lachar, D. (1998). Observations of parents, teachers, and children: contributions to the objective multidimensional assessment of youth. In Bellack, A.S. & M., Google Scholar
Hersen, (Eds.), Comprehensive clinical psychology, Volume 4, Assessment (Reynolds, C.R., Volume Editor) (pp. 371401). Amsterdam: Elsevier Science.Google Scholar
Lang, M., & Tisher, M. (1978). Children's Depression Scale. Victoria: Australian Council for Educational Research.Google Scholar
La Greca, A.M., & Stone, W.L. (1992). Assessing children through interviews and behavioral observations. In Walker, C.E. & Roberts, M.C. (Eds.), Handbook of clinical child psychology, second edition, (pp. 6383). New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
Lefkowitz, M., & Tesiny, E. (1980). Assessment of childhood depression. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 48, 4350.Google Scholar
Lefkowitz, M.M., & Tesiny, E.P. (1985). Depression in children: Prevalence and correlates. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 53, 647656.Google Scholar
McCarney, S., & Leigh, J. (1990). Behavior Evaluation Scale. Austin, TX: Pro-Ed.Google Scholar
Mash, E.J., & Dozois, D.J. (1996). Child psychopathology: A developmental systems perspective. In Mash, E.J. & Barkley, R.A. (Eds.), Child psychopathology (pp. 360). New York: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
National Health & Medical Research Council (1997). Depression in Young People: Clinical Practice Guidelines. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service.Google Scholar
Nguyen, N., Whittlesey, S., Scimeca, K., DiGiacomo, D., Bui, B., Parsons, O., Scarborough, A., & Paddock, D. (1994). Parent-child agreement in prepubertal depression: Findings with a modified assessment method. Journal of the American Academy of child and adolescent psychiatry, 33, 12751283.Google Scholar
Nietzel, M.T., Speltz, M.L., McCauley, E.A., & Bernstein, D.A. (1998). Abnormal psychology. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.Google Scholar
Nilzon, K.R., & Palmerus, K. (1997). The influence of familial factors on anxiety and depression in childhood and early adolescence. Adolescence, 32, 935943.Google ScholarPubMed
Puig-Antich, J., & Chambers, W. (1978). The Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children (Kiddie-SADS). New York: New York State Psychiatric Institute.Google Scholar
Reynolds, W.M. (1989). Reynolds Child Depression Scale: Professional Manual. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.Google Scholar
Reynolds, W.M. (1994). Assessment of depression in children and adolescents by self-report questionnaires. In Reynolds, W.M. & Johnston, H.F. (Eds.), Handbook of depression in children and adolescents, (pp. 209234). New York: Plenum Press.Google Scholar
Richters, J.E. (1992). Depressed mothers as informants about their children: A critical review of the evidence for distortion. Psychological Bulletin, 112, 485499.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Roberts, C.M. (1999). The prevention of depression in children and adolescents. Australian Psychologist, 34, 4957.Google Scholar
Rudolph, K.D., Hammen, C. & Burge, D. (1994). Interpersonal functioning and depressive symptoms in childhood: addressing the issues of specificity and comorbidity. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 22, 355371.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stark, K.D., Humphrey, J.L., Livingston, R., & Christopher, J. (1993). Cognitive, behavioral, and family factors in the differentiation of depressive and anxiety disorders during childhood. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 61, 878886.Google Scholar
Weiss, B., Politano, , Weisz, J.R., Politano, M., Carey, M., Nelson, W.M., & Finch, A.J. (1992). Relations among self-reported depressive symptoms in clinic-referred children versus adolescents. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 101, 391397.Google Scholar
Wirt, R., Lachar, D., Klinedinst, J., & Seat, P. (1977). Multidimensional description of personality. Los Angeles: Western Psychological Services.Google Scholar
Witt, J.C., Heffer, R.W., & Pfeiffer, J. (1990). Structured rating scales: A review of self-report and informant rating scales, procedures, and issues. In Reynolds, C.R. & Kamphaus, R.W. (Eds.), Handbook of psychological and educational assessment of children: Personality, behavior, and context (pp. 364394). New York: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
World Health Organization. (1992). ICD-10 classification of mental and behavioral disorders: Clinical descriptions and diagnostic guidelines. Geneva: Author.Google Scholar
Wright, F. (1988). Behavior Disorders Identification Scale. Columbia, MO: Hawthorne.Google Scholar