Measuring Depression in African American Cancer Survivors: The Reliability and Validity of the Center for Epidemiologic Study--Depression (CES-D) Scale

The Center for Epidemiologic Study-Depression (CES-D) Scale has been used to assess levels of depressive symptomatology in cancer survivors but has not been validated in African American cancer survivors. The current study assessed the reliability and validity of the CES-D in 216 African American cancer survivors. A Cronbach alpha was calculated to determine internal consistency reliability, and correlations were computed between the CES-D and other measure of mood states (Profile of Mood States-Short Form and Bradburn Positive and Negative Affect Scales) to assess concurrent validity. The CES-D demonstrated acceptable internal consistency (= .90), and the concurrent validity was supported by significant correlations with other measures of mood states. These analyses indicate that the CES-D is a reliable and valid measure for use with African American cancer survivors. The mean CES-D score (M = 15.7, SD = 11.89) further suggests that this sample of African American cancer survivors exhibit significant levels of depressive symptomatology.