Development and preliminary validation of a depressive symptomatology detection scale among children and adolescents on the autism spectrum

Abstract

High rates of depressive disorders are reported among young people on the autism spectrum. This condition is generally assessed using measures validated for typically developing young people. Tools adapted to children on the autism spectrum are not tailored to detect Major Depressive Disorder, nor have they been used among samples with an intellectual disability. To fill this gap, this article builds a novel Scale for evaluating depressive symptoms among youth on the autism spectrum (Echelle d’évaluation de la symptomatology dépressive spécifique à l’autisme) and evaluates its performance using a sample of 153 young people on the autism spectrum in France. The Echelle d’évaluation de la symptomatology dépressive spécifique à l’autisme was completed by parents of children and adolescents (aged 3–17 years) via an interview with a psychologist. The Echelle d’évaluation de la symptomatology dépressive spécifique à l’autisme has very good internal consistency, as well as good content validity. The scale is composed of two factors: (1) behavioral changes and (2) emotional and cognitive changes. Future studies should replicate this validation study with a larger sample size and investigate interrater reliability. Overall, results suggest preliminary support for using the Echelle d’évaluation de la symptomatology dépressive spécifique à l’autisme among youth on the autism spectrum.

Lay abstract

Many individuals on the autism spectrum experience depressive symptoms. These symptoms contribute to poor quality of life and may have a more negative impact than core autistic features. However, identifying depressive symptoms among individuals on the spectrum is a real challenge. In this study, we investigate the psychometric qualities of a French scale for evaluating depressive symptoms among youth on the autism spectrum. Participants were 153 autistic children and adolescents aged between 3 and 17 years. The majority of the sample was male (73.86%). One of their parents completed the scale for evaluating depressive symptoms among youth on the autism spectrum during an interview with a psychologist. Overall, the findings indicate the scale may be reliably used with children and adolescents on the autism spectrum. Experts deemed the items as being representative of depressive symptoms. The scale is composed of two factors: behavioral changes on one hand and cognitive and emotional changes on the other. The results are encouraging and show the scale is a promising instrument for assessing Major Depressive Disorder symptomatology among youth on the spectrum. Future studies should focus on testing this scale among adults and developing an auto-evaluative section.