J Korean Geriatr Psychiatry.  2013 Jun;17(1):37-43.

The Use of the Korean Version of Short Form Geriatric Depression Scale (SGDS-K)in the Community Dwelling Elderly in Korea

• Lee SC
• Kim WH
• Chang SM
• Kim BS
• Lee DW
• Bae JN
• Cho MJ

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the diagnostic validity of the Korean version of short form (15 item version) Geriatric Depression Scale (SGDS-K) was maintained well in the community dwelling elderly.
METHODS
In a face-to-face household survey conducted in Korea, 2,004 subjects aged more than 65 were interviewed by trained interviewers. 63 subjects diagnosed as dementia were excluded. The Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and SGDS-K were administered. Major depressive disorder (MDD) and minor depressive disorder (MnDD) were diagnosed with the diagnostic section of depressive disorder of the Korean version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (K-CIDI) according to DSM-IV diagnostic criteria. The sensitivity, the specificity and optimal cut-off point estimation and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis were performed to investigate the diagnostic validity of the SGDS-K to screen MDD and MnDD. The diagnostic validity tests were also compared between two groups (with cognitive impairment and without cognitive impairment) divided by the MMSE scores.
RESULTS
We suggest a score of 8 (sensitivity 0.9365, specificity 0.7603) as optimal cut-off score of SGDS-K for screening MDD and a score of 6 (sensitivity 0.7898, specificity 0.6586) as optimal cut-off score for screening both MDD and MnDD. The area under curve (AUC) was 0.900 for screening MDD and 0.797 for both MDD and MnDD. In the community dwelling elderly suffering from cognitive impairment, the sensitivity and specificity were 0.9500, 0.6870 with a cut off score of 8 for screening MDD and 0.8409, 0.5691 with a cut off score of 6 for screening both MDD and MnDD. The AUC was 0.893 for MDD and 0.767 for both MDD and MnDD.
CONCLUSION
The SGDS-K was useful in screening MDD, both MDD and MnDD in the community dwelling elderly and also useful in the elderly suffering from cognitive impairment.

Keyword

Short form Geriatric Depression Scale (SGDS); Korean elderly; Major depressive disorder; Minor depressive disorder; Cognitive impairment; Validity

MeSH Terms

Aged
Area Under Curve
Dementia
Depression
Depressive Disorder
Depressive Disorder, Major
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
Family Characteristics
Humans
Korea
Mass Screening
ROC Curve
Sensitivity and Specificity
Stress, Psychological