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Depression in children and adolescents: Assessment issues and recommendations

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Abstract

Energized by renewed research and clinical activities, the current status of assessments of child and adolescent depression merits review. With a multidisciplinary perspective, the present review considers levels of depression, diagnostic criteria, classification systems, and the relationship of childhood/adolescent depression to adult depression. Methods for the measurement of child and adolescent depression are described and evaluated: child self-report, peer nominations, ratings by significant others, measures of overt behavior, physiological measures, projectives, and measures of constructs related to depression (e.g., self-esteem). The use of children as the source of assessment data, the degree of convergence across measures, and problems in discriminant validity are identified as pertinent assessment issues. Recommendations include use of measures with established norms, cut scores, multiple assessment methods and periods, and multiple gating.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Psychology Department, Temple University, 19122, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

    Philip C. Kendall

  2. Neuropsychiatric Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, USA

    Dennis P. Cantwell

  3. Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburg School of Medicine, USA

    Alan E. Kazdin

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  1. Philip C. Kendall
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  2. Dennis P. Cantwell
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  3. Alan E. Kazdin
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Additional information

This issues and recommendation paper, focusing on child and adolescent depression, was coordinated similarly to the Kendall, Hollon, Beck, Hammon, and Ingram (1987) paper relating to adult depression and use of the BDI. Together, they are intended to encourage and facilitate research and application across the life span. The authors thank Frances M. Sessa for comments on an earlier version of this paper.

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Kendall, P.C., Cantwell, D.P. & Kazdin, A.E. Depression in children and adolescents: Assessment issues and recommendations. Cogn Ther Res 13, 109–146 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01173268

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