An examination of the psychometric properties of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) in a Multiracial/ethnic population in the United States
Depression and suicide are significant public health issues. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) is commonly used to assess for symptoms of depression, but its psychometric properties within Multiracial/ethnic populations remains uncertain. In a study involving 1,012 English-speaking Multirac...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1290736/full |
| _version_ | 1797354419129417728 |
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| author | Jaimie Shaff Geoffrey Kahn Holly C. Wilcox |
| author_facet | Jaimie Shaff Geoffrey Kahn Holly C. Wilcox |
| author_sort | Jaimie Shaff |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Depression and suicide are significant public health issues. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) is commonly used to assess for symptoms of depression, but its psychometric properties within Multiracial/ethnic populations remains uncertain. In a study involving 1,012 English-speaking Multiracial/ethnic participants from the United States (US), the PHQ-9 showed strong internal consistency (α = 0.93) and supported a one-factor structure. No measurement variance was observed between Non-White and White/Non-White Multiracial/ethic subgroups. PHQ-2, with a cutoff of ≥3, identified fewer depression cases than PHQ-9 (32% vs. 40%), with sensitivities of 75–99% and specificities of 74–96%; a cutoff of ≥2 missed fewer cases. Item performance of the ninth PHQ-9 question, addressing thoughts of death or self-harm, varied across generations with younger generations more likely to endorse thoughts of death or self-harm at any level of symptom severity. The findings suggest the PHQ-9 demonstrated adequate reliability within a population of Multiracial/ethnic adults in the US; however, the use of the 9th item of the PHQ-9 may not be adequate for identifying individuals at risk for suicidal thoughts and/or behaviors, particularly for older Multiracial/ethnic adults. The lower sensitivity of the PHQ-2 with a ≥ 3 cutoff suggests a cutoff of ≥2 may be preferable to miss fewer cases of depression. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T13:50:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4a6d457d82874eeb8180f87d64ff4785 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-0640 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T13:50:10Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj.art-4a6d457d82874eeb8180f87d64ff47852024-01-16T04:37:39ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychiatry1664-06402024-01-011410.3389/fpsyt.2023.12907361290736An examination of the psychometric properties of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) in a Multiracial/ethnic population in the United StatesJaimie Shaff0Geoffrey Kahn1Holly C. Wilcox2Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United StatesHenry Ford Health, Detroit, MI, United StatesJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United StatesDepression and suicide are significant public health issues. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) is commonly used to assess for symptoms of depression, but its psychometric properties within Multiracial/ethnic populations remains uncertain. In a study involving 1,012 English-speaking Multiracial/ethnic participants from the United States (US), the PHQ-9 showed strong internal consistency (α = 0.93) and supported a one-factor structure. No measurement variance was observed between Non-White and White/Non-White Multiracial/ethic subgroups. PHQ-2, with a cutoff of ≥3, identified fewer depression cases than PHQ-9 (32% vs. 40%), with sensitivities of 75–99% and specificities of 74–96%; a cutoff of ≥2 missed fewer cases. Item performance of the ninth PHQ-9 question, addressing thoughts of death or self-harm, varied across generations with younger generations more likely to endorse thoughts of death or self-harm at any level of symptom severity. The findings suggest the PHQ-9 demonstrated adequate reliability within a population of Multiracial/ethnic adults in the US; however, the use of the 9th item of the PHQ-9 may not be adequate for identifying individuals at risk for suicidal thoughts and/or behaviors, particularly for older Multiracial/ethnic adults. The lower sensitivity of the PHQ-2 with a ≥ 3 cutoff suggests a cutoff of ≥2 may be preferable to miss fewer cases of depression.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1290736/fulldepressionpatient health questionnairefactor analysisstatisticalpsychometricsracial groups |
| spellingShingle | Jaimie Shaff Geoffrey Kahn Holly C. Wilcox An examination of the psychometric properties of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) in a Multiracial/ethnic population in the United States Frontiers in Psychiatry depression patient health questionnaire factor analysis statistical psychometrics racial groups |
| title | An examination of the psychometric properties of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) in a Multiracial/ethnic population in the United States |
| title_full | An examination of the psychometric properties of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) in a Multiracial/ethnic population in the United States |
| title_fullStr | An examination of the psychometric properties of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) in a Multiracial/ethnic population in the United States |
| title_full_unstemmed | An examination of the psychometric properties of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) in a Multiracial/ethnic population in the United States |
| title_short | An examination of the psychometric properties of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) in a Multiracial/ethnic population in the United States |
| title_sort | examination of the psychometric properties of the patient health questionnaire 9 phq 9 in a multiracial ethnic population in the united states |
| topic | depression patient health questionnaire factor analysis statistical psychometrics racial groups |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1290736/full |
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