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Children’s Depression Inventory
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About Scale Name
Scale Name
Children’s Depression Inventory
Author Details
Maria Kovacs
Translation Availability
Not Sure
Background/Description
The Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI) is a self-report inventory that is used to assess the severity of depressive symptoms in children and adolescents. It was developed by Mary Kovacs, a clinical psychologist at the University of Pittsburgh, and was first published in 1978. The CDI has been revised several times since then, and the most recent version, the CDI-2, was published in 2007.
The CDI is a 27-item scale that is written at a first-grade reading level, so it can be completed by children as young as 7 years old. The items on the CDI are designed to assess a variety of depressive symptoms, including:
- Sadness
- Hopelessness
- Worthlessness
- Loss of interest in activities
- Social withdrawal
- Negative self-esteem
- Psychomotor retardation
- Fatigue
- Thoughts of death or suicide
Each item on the CDI is rated on a 3-point scale:
0 = Not true
1 = Sometimes true
2 = True
The total score for the CDI ranges from 0 to 54. A score of 17 or higher is considered to be clinically significant.
The CDI has been shown to be a reliable and valid measure of depression in children and adolescents. It has been used in research and clinical settings for over 40 years, and it is considered to be one of the most widely used and well-validated measures of depression in children.
The CDI is a valuable tool for mental health professionals who are evaluating children for depression. It can also be used by parents and teachers to screen for depression in children. If you are concerned that your child may be depressed, you should talk to their doctor or a mental health professional.
Here are some of the background and introduction of the Childhood Depression Inventory:
- The CDI was developed based on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), which is a self-report inventory for adults.
- The CDI was originally developed for children ages 7 to 17, but it has been used with younger and older children as well.
- The CDI has been translated into over 50 languages.
- The CDI has been used in research studies on depression in children and adolescents.
- The CDI has been used to evaluate the effectiveness of treatments for depression in children and adolescents.
The CDI is a valuable tool for the identification and assessment of depression in children and adolescents. It is a reliable and valid measure that has been used in research and clinical settings for over 40 years. The CDI has helped to improve the understanding and treatment of depression in children, and it continues to be an important resource for mental health professionals and parents.
Administration, Scoring and Interpretation
For each item, the child has three possible answers; 0 indicating an absence of symptoms, 1 indicating mild symptoms, and 2, definite symptoms. The total score can range from 0 to 54. The CDI can be administered using a Quick Score TM Form to assist in scoring and transforming the scores to a profile. Factor scores are calculated by adding the scores for each letter assigned to each item.
Total scores and factor scores converted to t scores on the profile form. The CDI can also be administered and scored using a microcomputer, or administered using paper forms and scored using the computer program.
The administration of the Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI) is relatively simple. The following steps should be followed:
- The child should be seated in a quiet room where they will not be disturbed.
- The examiner should read the instructions to the child and make sure that they understand them.
- The child should complete the CDI on their own.
- The examiner should score the CDI according to the instructions in the manual.
Reliability and Validity
The Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI) is a self-report inventory that is used to assess the severity of depressive symptoms in children and adolescents. It has been shown to be a reliable and valid measure of depression in children and adolescents.
Reliability refers to the consistency of a measure. A reliable measure will produce consistent results over time and across different settings. The CDI has been shown to have good reliability. For example, a study by Kovacs and colleagues (1984) found that the CDI had a test-retest reliability of 0.87 over a 2-week period. This means that children who scored high on the CDI at one time were likely to score high on the CDI at another time.
Validity refers to the accuracy of a measure. A valid measure will measure what it is supposed to measure. The CDI has been shown to have good validity. For example, a study by Angold and colleagues (1995) found that the CDI was able to distinguish between children with depression and children without depression with a high degree of accuracy.
The CDI has also been shown to be sensitive to change over time. This means that the CDI can be used to track changes in depressive symptoms over time. For example, a study by Goodyer and colleagues (2001) found that the CDI was able to detect changes in depressive symptoms in children who were treated for depression.
Here are some additional details about the reliability and validity of the CDI:
- Test-retest reliability: The test-retest reliability of the CDI has been found to be good, with a mean correlation of 0.87. This means that children who score high on the CDI at one time are likely to score high on the CDI at another time.
- Internal consistency: The internal consistency of the CDI has been found to be good, with a mean Cronbach’s alpha of 0.85. This means that the items on the CDI are all measuring the same construct, which is depression.
- Concurrent validity: The concurrent validity of the CDI has been found to be good. The CDI has been shown to correlate with other measures of depression, such as the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D).
- Predictive validity: The predictive validity of the CDI has been found to be good. The CDI has been shown to predict future depressive episodes in children and adolescents.
Available Versions
27-Items
Reference
Kovacs‚ M. (1983). “The Children’s Depression Inventory: A self-rated depression scale for school-aged youngsters.” University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine: Unpublished manuscript.
Kovacs‚ M. (1985). The Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI). Psychopharmacology Bulletin‚ 21(4)‚ 995-998.
Cannabis as a potential treatment for anxiety and depression. TeleLeaf. (n.d.). https://www.teleleaf.com/cannabis-potential-treatment-for-anxiety-and-depression/
Important Link
Scale File:
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the purpose of the CDI?
To assess the severity of depressive symptoms in children and adolescents.
Who can take the CDI?
Children and adolescents aged 7 to 17.
How long does it take to take the CDI?
About 15 minutes.
How is the CDI scored?
A total score is calculated, with a score of 17 or higher indicating clinically significant depression.
Where can I get the CDI?
The CDI is available from Multi-Health Systems.
Who should interpret the results of the CDI?
A mental health professional, such as a psychologist or psychiatrist.
What are the limitations of the CDI?
The CDI is not a diagnostic tool and should not be used to diagnose depression.
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