ArticleSSM - population health2019
Development and validation of a 20-item screening scale to detect major depressive disorder among adolescents with HIV in rural Uganda: A mixed-methods study.
Article in SSM - population health, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of diagnostic test accuracy of mental health screening tools applicable to adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Psychometrics of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) in Uganda: A Systematic Review.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Pooled it
- Pooled it
- "Thinking Too Much": A Systematic Review of the Idiom of Distress in Sub-Saharan Africa.Culture, medicine and psychiatry · 2021Pooled it
- Depressive symptoms and HIV risk behaviours among adolescents enrolled in the HPTN071 (PopART) trial in Zambia and South Africa.PloS one · 2022Trial
- Factor Structure, Reliability, and Validity of the 10-Item HIV Stigma Scale for Adolescents and Youth Living with HIV in Rural, Southwestern Uganda.AIDS and behavior · 2025Article
- Article
- Correlates of HIV treatment adherence self-efficacy among adolescents and young adults living with HIV in southwestern Uganda.PLOS global public health · 2024Article
- A longitudinal study of the role of spousal relationship quality and mother-in-law relationship quality on women's depression in rural Nepal.SSM. Mental health · 2023Article
- Maternal adverse childhood experiences, child mental health, and the mediating effect of maternal depression: A cross-sectional, population-based study in rural, southwestern Uganda.American journal of biological anthropology · 2023Article
- Psychosocial health in adolescent unmarried motherhood in rural Uganda: Implications for community-based collaborative mental health education, and empowerment strategies in the prevention of depression and suicide.Transcultural psychiatry · 2023Article
- Safe and valid? A systematic review of the psychometric properties of culturally adapted depression scales for use among Indigenous populations.Global mental health (Cambridge, England) · 2023Review
- The methods of improving cultural sensitivity of depression scales for use among global indigenous populations: a systematic scoping review.Global mental health (Cambridge, England) · 2023Article
- Development and validation of the Soweto Stress Scale: Mixed-methods, population-based study of adults living in Soweto, South Africa.Social science & medicine (1982) · 2021Article
- Childhood trauma, major depressive disorder, suicidality, and the modifying role of social support among adolescents living with HIV in rural Uganda.Journal of affective disorders reports · 2021Article
- Mbarara University Research Training Initiative: Experiences and Accomplishments of the MEPI Junior D43 TW010128 Award in Uganda.Advances in medical education and practice · 2021Article
- State of the Mind: Growing up with HIV.Paediatric drugs · 2020Review
- The prevalence of mental health problems in sub-Saharan adolescents living with HIV: a systematic review.Global mental health (Cambridge, England) · 2020Review
- Agreement and Discrepancy on Emotional and Behavioral Problems Between Caregivers and HIV-Infected Children and Adolescents From Uganda.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundDepression is a major cause of disability among children and adolescents and is associated with elevated risks for substance abuse, HIV transmission risk behavior, and suicide. Among adolescents living with HIV (ALWH), depression undermines adherence to antiretroviral treatment, leading to poorer health outcomes. However, there are few instruments available for depression screening among ALWH in sub-Saharan Africa.
methodsUsing mixed methods we developed and validated a 20-item depression screening scale to be used among ALWH in rural Uganda. First, we conducted focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with adolescents and adult caregivers (n = 80) to elicit participant perspectives about mental health challenges facing HIV-affected children and adolescents. We generated an initial pool of 40 items, pilot tested it with ALWH and adolescents of unknown serostatus (n = 40), and then administered the items to a validation sample of ALWH (n = 224). Exploratory factor analysis was used to examine the factor structure of the scale. We evaluated the scale for its reliability, and validity.
resultsThe mean age of the participants in the validation sample was 14.9 years (standard deviation [SD] 1.4), 131 (58%) were girls and 48 (21%) were orphans. Exploratory factor analysis revealed two factors related to affective and cognitive symptoms of depression. The 20-item depression scale was internally consistent (Cronbach's alpha = 0.91) with moderate test-retest and inter-rater reliability. Construct validity was excellent, as demonstrated through correlation with related constructs like stigma (P< 0.001) and bullying (P< 0.001). At the optimized cutoff score, 64 (29%) participants screened positive for probable depression. Using the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents, we found that 37 participants (17%) were diagnosed with major depressive disorder. In reference to the criterion standard, the depression scale showed excellent discrimination (c-statistic = 0.84).
conclusionThis new 20-item depression scale was reliable and valid for detecting major depressive disorder among ALWH in rural Uganda.
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