Reliability and validity of the Thai version of the PHQ-9
2008

Thai Version of the PHQ-9 for Depression Screening

Sample size: 924 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Lotrakul Manote, Sumrithe Sutida, Saipanish Ratana

Primary Institution: Mahidol University

Hypothesis

The study aims to examine the reliability and validity of a Thai version of the PHQ-9 as a screening tool for major depression in primary care patients.

Conclusion

The Thai version of the PHQ-9 has acceptable psychometric properties for screening for major depression in general practice with a recommended cut-off score of nine or greater.

Supporting Evidence

  • The PHQ-9 showed satisfactory internal consistency with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.79.
  • The optimal cut-off score of PHQ-9 ≥ 9 revealed a sensitivity of 0.84 and specificity of 0.77.
  • The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.89, indicating moderate accuracy.

Takeaway

The Thai PHQ-9 is a short questionnaire that helps doctors find out if someone might be depressed, and it works well if you score nine or higher.

Methodology

The PHQ-9 was translated into Thai and tested on 1,000 patients, with reliability and validity analyses performed.

Potential Biases

Participants might have underreported their depressive symptoms.

Limitations

The study was conducted in a university hospital, which may not represent primary care patients in rural areas, and there may be underreporting of symptoms.

Participant Demographics

Mean age of participants was 45.0 years, with 73.7% females.

Statistical Information

P-Value

<0.001

Confidence Interval

95% CI 0.85 to 0.92

Statistical Significance

p<0.001

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1471-244X-8-46

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