Nov 17, 2020  |   < 1

Child Depression | CES-DC

Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale for Children (CES-DC)

Recommended frequency: Every 2 weeks

Summary

The Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale for Children (CES-DC) is a 20-item self-report scale that measures the severity of depression symptoms over the past week. The scale can be used by individuals between the ages of 6 to 17. All items inquire about the frequency of symptoms, which are rated on a 4-point Likert scale. It can be used as a screening tool for depression in children and adolescents and is demonstrated to be a reliable measure to monitor depressive symptoms.

Psychometric Properties of the CES-DC

The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency (αs = .84 – .92) and excellent concurrent validity with the Children’s Depression Inventory. The scale has demonstrated better 2-week test-retest reliability and psychometric properties with adolescents than when used by children.

Sources:

  1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7452212
  2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3728717
  3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2301363

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The Scale

Below is a list of the ways you might have felt or acted. Please check how much you have felt this way during the past week.

Not at all A Little Some A lot
1. I was bothered by things that usually don’t bother me. 0 1 2 3
2. I did not feel like eating, I wasn’t very hungry. 0 1 2 3
3. I wasn’t able to feel happy, even when my family or friends tried to help me feel better. 0 1 2 3
4. I felt like I was just as good as other kids. 0 1 2 3
5. I felt like I couldn’t pay attention to what I was doing. 0 1 2 3
6. I felt down and unhappy. 0 1 2 3
7. I felt like I was too tired to do things. 0 1 2 3
8. I felt like something good was going to happen. 0 1 2 3
9. I felt like things I did before didn’t work out right. 0 1 2 3
10. I felt scared. 0 1 2 3
11. I didn’t sleep as well as I usually sleep. 0 1 2 3
12. I was happy. 0 1 2 3
13. I was more quiet than usual. 0 1 2 3
14. I felt lonely, like I didn’t have any friends. 0 1 2 3
15. I felt like kids I know were not friendly or that they didn’t want to be with me. 0 1 2 3
16. I had a good time. 0 1 2 3
17. I felt like crying. 0 1 2 3
18. I felt sad. 0 1 2 3
19. I felt people didn’t like me. 0 1 2 3
20. It was hard to get started doing things. 0 1 2 3

Scoring the CES-DC

Depression severity is calculated by assigning 0-3 to the response categories of “not at all”, “a little”, “some”, “a lot”, respectively. Items 4, 8, 12, and 16 are reverse-scored. The sum of all 20 items is calculated and represents the severity of depressive symptoms as determined by the child/adolescent. Total scale scores range from 0-60. A higher score reflects a greater degree of depression symptoms. A score of 15 or higher indicates a risk for depression in children and adolescents.

Higher CES-DC scores indicate increasing levels of depression. Weissman et al. (1980), the developers of the CES-DC, have used the cut-off score of 15 as being suggestive of depression symptoms in children and adolescents. That is, scores over 15 can be indicative of significant levels of depressive symptoms.

Score Symptom Severity
0-14 Mild or no depression symptoms
15-60 Significant depression symptoms

Copyright Information

Weissman MM, Orvaschel H, Padian N. 1980. Children’s symptom and social functioning self report scales: Comparison of mothers’ and children’s reports. Journal of Nervous Mental Disorders 168(12):736–740.

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