Getting it Right: validating a culturally specific screening tool for depression (aPHQ-9) in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians

The Getting it Right Collaborative Group

doi:10.5694/mja2.50212

Getting it Right: validating a culturally specific screening tool for depression (aPHQ-9) in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians

The Getting it Right Collaborative Group

9 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Objectives: To determine the validity, sensitivity, specificity and acceptability of the culturally adapted nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (aPHQ-9) as a screening tool for depression in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Design: Prospective observational validation study, 25 March 2015 – 2 November 2016. Setting, participants: 500 adults (18 years or older) who identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people and attended one of ten primary health care services or service events in urban, rural and remote Australia that predominantly serve Indigenous Australians, and were able to communicate sufficiently to respond to questionnaire and interview questions. Main outcome measures: Criterion validity of the aPHQ-9, with the depression module of the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) 6.0.0 as the criterion standard. Results: 108 of 500 participants (22%; 95% CI, 18–25%) had a current episode of major depression according to the MINI criterion. The sensitivity of the aPHQ-9 algorithm for diagnosing a current major depressive episode was 54% (95% CI, 40–68%), its specificity was 91% (95% CI, 88–94%), with a positive predictive value of 64%. For screening for a current major depressive episode, the area under the receiver operator characteristic curve was 0.88 (95% CI, 0.85–0.92); with a cut-point of 10 points its sensitivity was 84% (95% CI, 74–91%) and its specificity 77% (95% CI, 71–83%). The aPHQ-9 was deemed acceptable by more than 80% of participants. Conclusions: Indigenous Australians found the aPHQ-9 acceptable as a screening tool for depression. Applying a cut-point of 10 points, the performance characteristics of the aPHQ were good.

Original language	English
Journal	Medical Journal of Australia
Volume	211
Issue number	1
Pages (from-to)	24-30
Number of pages	7
ISSN	0025-729X
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.5694/mja2.50212
Publication status	Published - Jul 2019

Keywords

Depressive disorders
Indigenous health
Psychometrics

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title = "Getting it Right: validating a culturally specific screening tool for depression (aPHQ-9) in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians",

abstract = "Objectives: To determine the validity, sensitivity, specificity and acceptability of the culturally adapted nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (aPHQ-9) as a screening tool for depression in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Design: Prospective observational validation study, 25 March 2015 – 2 November 2016. Setting, participants: 500 adults (18 years or older) who identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people and attended one of ten primary health care services or service events in urban, rural and remote Australia that predominantly serve Indigenous Australians, and were able to communicate sufficiently to respond to questionnaire and interview questions. Main outcome measures: Criterion validity of the aPHQ-9, with the depression module of the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) 6.0.0 as the criterion standard. Results: 108 of 500 participants (22%; 95% CI, 18–25%) had a current episode of major depression according to the MINI criterion. The sensitivity of the aPHQ-9 algorithm for diagnosing a current major depressive episode was 54% (95% CI, 40–68%), its specificity was 91% (95% CI, 88–94%), with a positive predictive value of 64%. For screening for a current major depressive episode, the area under the receiver operator characteristic curve was 0.88 (95% CI, 0.85–0.92); with a cut-point of 10 points its sensitivity was 84% (95% CI, 74–91%) and its specificity 77% (95% CI, 71–83%). The aPHQ-9 was deemed acceptable by more than 80% of participants. Conclusions: Indigenous Australians found the aPHQ-9 acceptable as a screening tool for depression. Applying a cut-point of 10 points, the performance characteristics of the aPHQ were good.",

keywords = "Depressive disorders, Indigenous health, Psychometrics",

author = "Hackett, {Maree L.} and Armando Teixeira-Pinto and Sara Farnbach and Nicholas Glozier and Timothy Skinner and Askew, {Deborah A.} and Graham Gee and Alan Cass and Alex Brown and {The Getting it Right Collaborative Group}",

year = "2019",

month = jul,

doi = "10.5694/mja2.50212",

language = "English",

volume = "211",

pages = "24--30",

journal = "Medical Journal of Australia",

issn = "0025-729X",

publisher = "Australasian Medical Publishing Company Pty. Ltd",

number = "1",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Getting it Right

T2 - validating a culturally specific screening tool for depression (aPHQ-9) in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians

AU - Hackett, Maree L.

AU - Teixeira-Pinto, Armando

AU - Farnbach, Sara

AU - Glozier, Nicholas

AU - Skinner, Timothy

AU - Askew, Deborah A.

AU - Gee, Graham

AU - Cass, Alan

AU - Brown, Alex

AU - The Getting it Right Collaborative Group

PY - 2019/7

Y1 - 2019/7

N2 - Objectives: To determine the validity, sensitivity, specificity and acceptability of the culturally adapted nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (aPHQ-9) as a screening tool for depression in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Design: Prospective observational validation study, 25 March 2015 – 2 November 2016. Setting, participants: 500 adults (18 years or older) who identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people and attended one of ten primary health care services or service events in urban, rural and remote Australia that predominantly serve Indigenous Australians, and were able to communicate sufficiently to respond to questionnaire and interview questions. Main outcome measures: Criterion validity of the aPHQ-9, with the depression module of the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) 6.0.0 as the criterion standard. Results: 108 of 500 participants (22%; 95% CI, 18–25%) had a current episode of major depression according to the MINI criterion. The sensitivity of the aPHQ-9 algorithm for diagnosing a current major depressive episode was 54% (95% CI, 40–68%), its specificity was 91% (95% CI, 88–94%), with a positive predictive value of 64%. For screening for a current major depressive episode, the area under the receiver operator characteristic curve was 0.88 (95% CI, 0.85–0.92); with a cut-point of 10 points its sensitivity was 84% (95% CI, 74–91%) and its specificity 77% (95% CI, 71–83%). The aPHQ-9 was deemed acceptable by more than 80% of participants. Conclusions: Indigenous Australians found the aPHQ-9 acceptable as a screening tool for depression. Applying a cut-point of 10 points, the performance characteristics of the aPHQ were good.

AB - Objectives: To determine the validity, sensitivity, specificity and acceptability of the culturally adapted nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (aPHQ-9) as a screening tool for depression in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Design: Prospective observational validation study, 25 March 2015 – 2 November 2016. Setting, participants: 500 adults (18 years or older) who identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people and attended one of ten primary health care services or service events in urban, rural and remote Australia that predominantly serve Indigenous Australians, and were able to communicate sufficiently to respond to questionnaire and interview questions. Main outcome measures: Criterion validity of the aPHQ-9, with the depression module of the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) 6.0.0 as the criterion standard. Results: 108 of 500 participants (22%; 95% CI, 18–25%) had a current episode of major depression according to the MINI criterion. The sensitivity of the aPHQ-9 algorithm for diagnosing a current major depressive episode was 54% (95% CI, 40–68%), its specificity was 91% (95% CI, 88–94%), with a positive predictive value of 64%. For screening for a current major depressive episode, the area under the receiver operator characteristic curve was 0.88 (95% CI, 0.85–0.92); with a cut-point of 10 points its sensitivity was 84% (95% CI, 74–91%) and its specificity 77% (95% CI, 71–83%). The aPHQ-9 was deemed acceptable by more than 80% of participants. Conclusions: Indigenous Australians found the aPHQ-9 acceptable as a screening tool for depression. Applying a cut-point of 10 points, the performance characteristics of the aPHQ were good.

KW - Depressive disorders

KW - Indigenous health

KW - Psychometrics

U2 - 10.5694/mja2.50212

DO - 10.5694/mja2.50212

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 31256439

AN - SCOPUS:85067367211

SN - 0025-729X

VL - 211

SP - 24

EP - 30

JO - Medical Journal of Australia

JF - Medical Journal of Australia

IS - 1

ER -

Getting it Right: validating a culturally specific screening tool for depression (aPHQ-9) in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians

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Keywords

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