Factor structure of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) scale among Chinese coal miners

Objective: Depression is a serious public health problem in coal miners that not only affects their physical health and quality of life but also leads to a decline in productivity and a high economic burden. The primary purpose of the current study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale. The secondary aim was to investigate the prevalence of depression among coal miners in Shanxi Province, China. Methods: Coal miners (3314, 86.60% men) were selected and evaluated with the CES-D from February 1 to April 30, 2021. The factor structure of the CES-D scale was analyzed using exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA). Cronbach’s α and McDonald’s Ω were calculated to evaluate the internal consistency of the CES-D. Results: The prevalence of depressive symptoms among coal miners was 54.68%. The EFA results suggested that a three-factor structure model with 18 items was the best fit, including Depressed Affect, Interpersonal Problems, and Retarded Activity, which accounted for 54.37% of the total variance. The CFA indicated that this factor structure fit the data adequately (χ2 = 217.408, df = 87, CMIN/DF = 2.49, RMSEA = 0.055, CFI = 0.969, TLI = 0.962, IFI = 0.969). Additionally, the overall Cronbach’s α and McDonald’s Ω of the CES-D were 0.949 and 0.950, respectively. The CES-D had an excellent reliability and validity in the present sample of coal miners. Conclusion: The three-factor structure of CES-D with 18 items can best fit the data from coal miners living in Shanxi Province. The reliability and validity of the CES-D were in line with the requirements of psychometric test. The scale is suitable for screening depression among coal miners in China.