Psychometric properties of responses by clinicians and older adults to a 6-item Hebrew version of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D6)

Background: The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) is commonly used as a screening instrument, as a continuous measure of change in depressive symptoms over time, and as a means to compare the relative efficacy of treatments. Among several abridged versions, the 6-item HAM-D-6 is used most widely in large degree because of its good psychometric properties. The current study compares both self-report and clinician-rated versions of the Hebrew version of this scale. Methods: A total of 153 Israelis 75 years of age on average participated in this study. The HAM-D-6 was examined using confirmatory factor analytic (CFA) models separately for both patient and clinician responses. Results: Reponses to the HAM-D-6 suggest that this instrument measures a unidimensional construct with each of the scales' six items contributing significantly to the measurement. Comparisons between self-report and clinician versions indicate that responses do not significantly differ for 4 of the 6 items. Moreover, 100% sensitivity (and 91% specificity) was found between patient HAM-D-6 responses and clinician diagnoses of depression. Conclusion: These results indicate that the Hebrew HAM-D-6 can be used to measure and screen for depressive symptoms among elderly patients.