The Chinese version of the Depression Self-Rating Scale (DSRS) developed by Birleson was administered to 3,786 Chinese early adolescents studying at Grades 5 to 8 in Hong Kong. The DSRS data were found to have adequate internal consistency and item-total correlations. Factor analysis of the scale revealed two components. The findings suggest that the Chinese version of the DSRS possesses acceptable psychometric properties and appears to be a brief and economical instrument to be used for the purposes of research and documenting change. However, the mean for the sample was found to be higher than those obtained in previous studies. Implications for future research are discussed.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
2.
Asarnow, J. R. , & Carlson, G. A. (1985). The Depression Self-Rating Scale: Utility with child psychiatric inpatients. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 53, 491-499.
3.
Asher, S. R. , & Wheeler, V. A. (1985). Children's loneliness: A comparison of rejected and neglected peer status. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 53(4), 500-505.
4.
Birleson, P. (1981). The validity of depressive disorders and the development of a self-rating scale: A research report. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 22, 73-88.
5.
Carey, M. P. , Lubin, B., & Brewer, D. H. (1992). Measuring dysphoric mood in pre-adolescents and adolescents: The Youth Depression Adjective Checklist (Y-DACL). Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 21(4), 331-338.
6.
Chan, C. M. , & Tsoi, M. M. (1984). The BDI and stimulus determinants of cognitive-related depression among Chinese college students. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 8, 501-508.
7.
Chan, D. W. , & Lee, H.C.B. (1993). Dimensions of self-esteem and psychological symptoms among Chinese adolescents in Hong Kong. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 22(4), 425-440.
8.
Chang, W. C. (1985). A cross-cultural study of depressive symptomatology. Culture, Medicine, & Psychiatry, 9, 295-315.
9.
Chen, C. N. , Wong, J., Lee, N., Chan-Ho, M. W., Lau, J.T.F., & Fung, M. (1993). The Shatin community mental health survey in Hong Kong: II. Major findings. Archives of General Psychiatry, 50, 125-133.
10.
Cheung, F. M. (1985). An overview of psychopathology in Hong Kong with special reference to somatic presentation. In W. S. Tseng & D.YH. Wu (Eds.), Chinese culture and mental health (pp. 287-304). Orlando, FL: Academic Press.
11.
Cheung, F. M. , & Lao, B. (1982). Situational variations of help-seeking behavior among Chinese patients. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 23, 252-262.
12.
Cheung, F. M. , Lau, B.W.K., & Waldmann, E. (1982). Somatization among Chinese depressives in general practice. International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine, 10(4), 361-374.
13.
Cheung, P. C. , & Lau, S. (1985). Self-esteem: Its relationships to the family and school social environments among Chinese adolescents. Youth and Society, 16, 438-456.
14.
Cheung, S. K. , & Leung-Ngai, J.M.Y (1992). Impact of homework stress on children's physical and psychological well-being. Journal of the Hong Kong Medical Association, 44(3), 146-150.
15.
Cheung, T. S. (1986). Sex differences in the effect of academic achievement on self-esteem: A Hong Kong case. Social Behavior and Personality, 14(2), 161-165.
16.
Cheung, T. S. , & Tam, S. Y. (1984). An analysis of the self-esteem of adolescents in Hong Kong: Configuration and determinants. Hong Kong: Chinese University of Hong Kong.
17.
Corcoran, K. , & Fischer, J. (1987). Measures for clinical practice: A sourcebook. New York: Free Press.
18.
Dudding, G. S. (1990). The assessment of anxiety and depression in children. In P. McReynolds, J. C. Rosen, & G. J. Chelune (Eds.), Advances in psychological assessment, (Vol. 7, pp. 133-163). New York: Plenum.
19.
Faulstich, M. E. , Carey, M. P., Ruggiero, L., Enyart, P., & Gresham, F. (1986). Assessment of depression in childhood and adolescence: An evaluation of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale for Children (CES-DC). American Journal of Psychiatry, 143(8), 1024-1027.
20.
Firth, M. A. , & Chaplin, L. (1987). The use of the Birleson Depression Scale with a non-clinical sample of boys. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 28(1), 79-85.
21.
Ho, D.YF. (1981). Childhood psychopathology: A dialogue with special reference to Chinese and American cultures. In A. Kleinman & T. Y. Lin (Eds.), Normal and abnormal behavior in Chinese culture (pp. 137-155). Dordrecht, Netherlands: D. Reidel.
22.
Kashani, J. H. , & Schmid, L. S. (1992). Epidemiology and etiology of depressive disorders. In M. Shafii & S. L. Shafui (Eds.), Clinical guide to depression in children and adolescents (pp. 43-64). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press.
23.
Kashani, J. H. , & Simonds, J. F. (1979). The incidence of depression in children. American Journal of Psychiatry, 136(9), 1203-1205.
24.
Kazdin, A.E. (1988). Childhood depression. In E. J. Mash & L. G. Terdal (Eds.), Behavioral assessment of childhood disorders (2nd ed., pp. 157-195). New York: Guilford.
25.
Kazdin, A. E. , Esveldt-Dawson, K., Sherick, R. B., & Colbus, D. (1985). Assessment of overt behavior and childhood depression among psychiatrically disturbed children. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 53, 210-210.
26.
Kovacs, M. (1985). The Children's Depression Inventory (CDI). Psychopharmacology Bulletin, 21, 995-998.
27.
Lang, M. , & Tisher, M. (1978). Children's Depression Scale. Victoria: Australian Council for Educational Research.
28.
Lau, S. (1988). The value orientations of Chinese University students in Hong Kong. International Journal of Psychology, 23, 583-596.
29.
Lau, S. (1990). Crisis and vulnerability in adolescent development. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 19(2), 111-131.
30.
Marsella, A. J. (1985). Culture, self, and mental disorder. In A. J. Marsella, G. Devos, & F.L.K. Hsu (Eds.), Culture and self Asian and Western perspectives (pp. 281-307). New York: Tavistock.
31.
Marsella, A. J. , Kinzie, D., & Gordon, P. (1973). Ethnic variations in the expression of depression. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 4(4), 435-458.
32.
Mitchell, J. , McCauley, E., Burke, P. M., & Moss, S. J. (1988). Phenomenology of depression in children and adolescents. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 27, 12-20.
33.
Mokros, H. B. , & Poznanski, E. O. (1992). Standardized approaches to clinical assessment of depression. In M. Shafii & S. L. Shafii (Eds.), Clinical guide to depression in children and adolescents (pp. 129-155). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press.
34.
Patton, W. , & Burnett, P. C. (1993). The Children's Depression Scale: Assessment of a factor structure with data from a normal adolescent population. Adolescence, 29(110), 315-324.
35.
Poznanski, E. O. , Cook, S. C., & Carroll, B. J. (1979). A depression rating scale for children. Pediatrics, 64, 442-450.
36.
Rack, P. (1982). Race, culture, and mental disorder. London: Tavistock.
37.
Rosenberg, M. (1965). Society and the adolescent self-image. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
38.
Rosenthal, R. , & Rosnow, R. L. (1991). Essentials of behavioral research: Methods and data analysis. New York: McGraw-Hill.
39.
Rust, J. , & Golombok, S. (1989). Modern psychometrics: The science of psychological assessment. London: Routledge.
40.
Shek, D.T.L. (1990). Reliability and factorial structure of the Chinese version of the Beck Depression Inventory. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 46(1), 35-42.
41.
Shek, D.T.L. (1991). Depressive symptoms in a sample of Chinese adolescents: An empirical study using the Chinese version of the Beck Depression Inventory. International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health, 5(1), 1-16.
42.
Weinberg, W. A. , Rutman, J., Sullivan, L., Penick, E., & Dietz, S. (1973). Depression in children referred to an educational diagnostic center. Journal of Pediatrics, 83, 1065-1072.
43.
Wong, C. K. (1990). Child psychiatry in Hong Kong: An overview. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 24, 331-338.
44.
Zung, W. (1965). A self-rating depression scale. Archives of General Psychiatry, 12, 63-70.
