Properties of the Early Symptom Measurement of Post-Stroke Depression: Concurrent Criterion Validity and Cutoff Scores
Jufang Li, Linda Denise Oakley, Roger Brown, Yun Li, Yong Luo
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Early-stage post-stroke depression (PSD) increases the risk of stroke-related disability and mortality in the first year of recovery. Presently available screening measures were developed to assess major depression, and none used a PSD screening criterion that was systematically developed and tested in populations of patients with acute stroke. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the concurrent criterion validity and cutoff scoring of the Early Symptom Measurement of Post-Stroke Depression (ESM-PSD) instrument in hospitalized patients with acute stroke. METHODS: Purposive recruitment of newly admitted patients yielded a qualified sample of 139 nonaphasic participants who were 7-30 days post mild-to-moderate stroke confirmed by computed tomography and magnetic resonance images. Participants responded to the ESM-PSD and Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression-24 (HAMD-24). RESULTS: The mean number of post-stroke days was 11.99 (SD = 7.68). Cronbach's alpha estimates of internal consistency were ESM-PSD = .90 and HAMD-24 = .76. ESM-PSD measurement sensitivity and specificity were superior. The following three ESM-PSD cutoff scores, determined by the receiver operating characteristic curve, were used to assess clinically relevant early-symptom levels: no PSD < 14.5, low PSD = 14.5-25.5, moderate PSD = 25.5-45.5, high PSD ≥ 45.5. CONCLUSION/IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: ESM-PSD cutoff scores show the expected correspondence with mild-moderate-severe HAMD-24 symptoms, which was evidenced by the high area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. Planned follow-up research will assess the efficacy of using ESM-PSD scores to detect increased risk of major depression onset in patients with acute stroke.