Psychometric Properties and Factor Structure of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 as a Screening Tool for Depression Among Ecuadorian College Students

BackgroundThe Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) is the most well-known self-report measure to screen for depressive symptomatology, although discerning which is the factor structure that represents the best fit remains a challenge.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to analyze the psychometric p...

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Main Authors: Víctor Manuel López-Guerra, Carla López-Núñez, Silvia L. Vaca-Gallegos, Pablo V. Torres-Carrión
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2022-04-01
Series:Frontiers in Psychology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.813894/full
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author Víctor Manuel López-Guerra
Carla López-Núñez
Silvia L. Vaca-Gallegos
Pablo V. Torres-Carrión
author_facet Víctor Manuel López-Guerra
Carla López-Núñez
Silvia L. Vaca-Gallegos
Pablo V. Torres-Carrión
author_sort Víctor Manuel López-Guerra
collection DOAJ
description BackgroundThe Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) is the most well-known self-report measure to screen for depressive symptomatology, although discerning which is the factor structure that represents the best fit remains a challenge.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to analyze the psychometric properties and factorial structure of the Spanish version of the PHQ-9 in a large sample of Ecuadorian college students.MethodsA total of 5,394 students (M = 22.03 years; SD = 3.05; 54.8% female) from three Ecuadorian universities were surveyed using a computerized questionnaire within a 4-week assessment period. The PHQ-9 was tested for factorial structure, reliability, and correlations with other mental health-related measures.ResultsThe hierarchical model that included a general factor and three nested factors had a better fit, and such a hierarchical structure remained invariant across sex and age. Total omega value (ω) was 0.90 for the total scale and hierarchical omega values (ωh) were 0.68 for the general factor, as well as 0.34, 0.38, and 0.44 for the respective nested factors (somatic, cognitive/affective, concentration/motor). Moreover, PHQ-9 scores were significantly higher among women, although effect sizes of comparison of those sex differences were very small. Finally, the PHQ-9 scores correlated with multiple mental health indicators (psychological inflexibility, loneliness, stress, and satisfaction with life).DiscussionThe Spanish version of the PHQ-9 showed good psychometric properties among Ecuadorian college students. The hierarchical structure showed the best fit for the data, including not only a dominant general factor, but also the somatic, cognitive/affective and concentration/motor subcomponents. In conclusion, the PHQ-9 tool seems to represent an easy-to-implement screening questionnaire to design preventive programs for those Ecuadorian college students at risk of developing depressive disorders.
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spelling doaj.art-0df71485ec1642c8bea063064c6c192e2022-12-22T02:56:07ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782022-04-011310.3389/fpsyg.2022.813894813894Psychometric Properties and Factor Structure of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 as a Screening Tool for Depression Among Ecuadorian College StudentsVíctor Manuel López-Guerra0Carla López-Núñez1Silvia L. Vaca-Gallegos2Pablo V. Torres-Carrión3Department of Psychology, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, Loja, EcuadorDepartment of Personality, Assessment and Psychological Treatments, School of Psychology, University of Seville, Seville, SpainDepartment of Psychology, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, Loja, EcuadorDepartment of Computer Science, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, Loja, EcuadorBackgroundThe Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) is the most well-known self-report measure to screen for depressive symptomatology, although discerning which is the factor structure that represents the best fit remains a challenge.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to analyze the psychometric properties and factorial structure of the Spanish version of the PHQ-9 in a large sample of Ecuadorian college students.MethodsA total of 5,394 students (M = 22.03 years; SD = 3.05; 54.8% female) from three Ecuadorian universities were surveyed using a computerized questionnaire within a 4-week assessment period. The PHQ-9 was tested for factorial structure, reliability, and correlations with other mental health-related measures.ResultsThe hierarchical model that included a general factor and three nested factors had a better fit, and such a hierarchical structure remained invariant across sex and age. Total omega value (ω) was 0.90 for the total scale and hierarchical omega values (ωh) were 0.68 for the general factor, as well as 0.34, 0.38, and 0.44 for the respective nested factors (somatic, cognitive/affective, concentration/motor). Moreover, PHQ-9 scores were significantly higher among women, although effect sizes of comparison of those sex differences were very small. Finally, the PHQ-9 scores correlated with multiple mental health indicators (psychological inflexibility, loneliness, stress, and satisfaction with life).DiscussionThe Spanish version of the PHQ-9 showed good psychometric properties among Ecuadorian college students. The hierarchical structure showed the best fit for the data, including not only a dominant general factor, but also the somatic, cognitive/affective and concentration/motor subcomponents. In conclusion, the PHQ-9 tool seems to represent an easy-to-implement screening questionnaire to design preventive programs for those Ecuadorian college students at risk of developing depressive disorders.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.813894/fullpsychometric propertiesfactor structurePatient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)depressioncollege studentsEcuador
spellingShingle Víctor Manuel López-Guerra
Carla López-Núñez
Silvia L. Vaca-Gallegos
Pablo V. Torres-Carrión
Psychometric Properties and Factor Structure of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 as a Screening Tool for Depression Among Ecuadorian College Students
Frontiers in Psychology
psychometric properties
factor structure
Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)
depression
college students
Ecuador
title Psychometric Properties and Factor Structure of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 as a Screening Tool for Depression Among Ecuadorian College Students
title_full Psychometric Properties and Factor Structure of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 as a Screening Tool for Depression Among Ecuadorian College Students
title_fullStr Psychometric Properties and Factor Structure of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 as a Screening Tool for Depression Among Ecuadorian College Students
title_full_unstemmed Psychometric Properties and Factor Structure of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 as a Screening Tool for Depression Among Ecuadorian College Students
title_short Psychometric Properties and Factor Structure of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 as a Screening Tool for Depression Among Ecuadorian College Students
title_sort psychometric properties and factor structure of the patient health questionnaire 9 as a screening tool for depression among ecuadorian college students
topic psychometric properties
factor structure
Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)
depression
college students
Ecuador
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.813894/full
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