Document Type
Article
Department
Institute for Human Development
Abstract
Background: Depression remains under-investigated in people living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa due to paucity of adequately validated measures. This study aimed to validate an adapted version of the 9-item Pa- tient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) among adults living with HIV compared to those from the community in Kilifi, Kenya.
Methods: Analysis of data from 450 adults living with HIV and 337 adults from the community was conducted examining the reliability, factorial structure, measurement invariance and discriminant validity of interviewer- administered PHQ-9, Swahili version.
Results: Internal consistency of the Swahili PHQ-9 was good overall, in adults living with HIV and those from the community (Macdonald’s omega > 0.80). The two-week test-retest reliability was acceptable among adults living with HIV ( ICC = 0.64). A one-factor confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) model indicated the Swahili PHQ-9 was unidimensional in the overall sample, in adults living with HIV and those from the community. Multi-group CFA substantiated measurement invariance of this unidimensional scale across participant group (adults living with HIV vs. community), sex (females vs. males) and age category (young, middle-age and elderly adults). The Swahili PHQ-9 exhibited good discriminant validity between the two participant groups. Limitations: No diagnostic interview for mental disorders was administered in the original studies limiting analysis of sensitivity and specificity of the Swahili PHQ-9.
Conclusion: The Swahili PHQ-9 is a reliable and valid unidimensional scale. It appears a valuable tool for assessing depressive symptoms that can be generalized across different demographic groups, in primary HIV clinics and the general community within this and similar settings.
Publication ( Name of Journal)
Journal of Affective Disorders Reports
Recommended Citation
Mwangi, P.,
Nyongesa, M. K.,
Koot, H. M.,
Cuijpers, P.,
Newton, C. R.,
Abdillah, A.
(2020). Validation of a Swahili version of the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) among adults living with HIV compared to a community sample from Kilifi, Kenya. Journal of Affective Disorders Reports, 1(100013).
Available at:
https://ecommons.aku.edu/eastafrica_ihd/44
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.