TY - JOUR
T1 - Screening for Depression and Psychological Distress in a Currently Serving Military Population
T2 - The Diagnostic Accuracy of the K10 and the PHQ9
AU - Searle, Amelia K.
AU - Van Hooff, Miranda
AU - McFarlane, Alexander C.
AU - Davies, Christopher E.
AU - Tran, Thao
AU - Hodson, Stephanie E.
AU - Benassi, Helen P.
AU - Steele, Nicole M.
N1 - Funding Information:
We thank all investigators and scientific advisors, and in particular Alan Verhagen for his contribution to the design of the study. We also thank the study teams at the Centre for Military and Veterans? Health and the University of Adelaide for their role in data collection. Finally, we thank the ADF personnel who participated in this study. The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This research was funded by a grant from the Department of Defence.
PY - 2019/12/1
Y1 - 2019/12/1
N2 - This study is the first to examine the diagnostic accuracy of two depression screening scales—the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)—in an entire regular-serving military population. Currently serving Australian Defence Force personnel (n = 24,481) completed the K10 and PHQ9. Then a targeted subsample (i.e., the analysis sample, n = 1,730) completed a diagnostic interview to identify DSM-IV 30-day disorder. Weighted results represented the entire population (N = 50,049). Both scales similarly showed a good ability to discriminate between personnel with and without depressive disorders. Optimal cutoffs (19 for K10, 6 for PHQ9) showed high sensitivity and good specificity, and were similar to though slightly lower than those recommended in civilian populations. Both scales appear to be valid screens for depressive disorder in the military, using the cutoffs identified. As both performed similarly, scale choice may depend on other factors (e.g., availability of norms).
AB - This study is the first to examine the diagnostic accuracy of two depression screening scales—the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)—in an entire regular-serving military population. Currently serving Australian Defence Force personnel (n = 24,481) completed the K10 and PHQ9. Then a targeted subsample (i.e., the analysis sample, n = 1,730) completed a diagnostic interview to identify DSM-IV 30-day disorder. Weighted results represented the entire population (N = 50,049). Both scales similarly showed a good ability to discriminate between personnel with and without depressive disorders. Optimal cutoffs (19 for K10, 6 for PHQ9) showed high sensitivity and good specificity, and were similar to though slightly lower than those recommended in civilian populations. Both scales appear to be valid screens for depressive disorder in the military, using the cutoffs identified. As both performed similarly, scale choice may depend on other factors (e.g., availability of norms).
KW - K10
KW - PHQ9
KW - diagnostic accuracy
KW - military
KW - sensitivity and specificity
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85041556318&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/1073191117745124
DO - 10.1177/1073191117745124
M3 - Article
C2 - 29192508
AN - SCOPUS:85041556318
VL - 26
SP - 1411
EP - 1426
JO - Assessment
JF - Assessment
SN - 1073-1911
IS - 8
ER -