Appendix 1.

Search terms applied to bibliographic databases ^†

Database	Search terms
The African Journal Archive	depression or distress
African Journals online	(depressive OR depression OR affective OR mood OR postpartum OR postnatal) AND (diagnosis OR sensitivity OR specificity OR validation OR screening OR psychometric OR “factor analysis” OR “factor structurefactor analysis” or reliability OR validity OR consistency)
Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature	MH “affective disorders” OR MH “Beck Depression Inventory, revised edition” OR MH “Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale” OR MH “Edinburg Postnatal Depression Scale” OR MH “Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression” OR MH “Self-Rating Depression Scale” OR “MH Bech-Rafaelson Melanchoha Scale” OR MH AB Depression OR AB Depressive OR AB “psychological distress” OR AB idiom) AND (MH Africa OR MH refugees or MH AB Africa) AND (MH diagnosis OR MH psychometrics OR MH “factor analysis” OR MH “rehability and validity” or MH “Rasch analysis” OR AB “constmct validity” OR AB “convergent validity” OR AB “divergent validity” OR AB “discriminant validity” OR AB “content validity” OR AB “face validity” OR AB “criterion validity” OR AB “concurrent validity” OR AB “predictive validity” OR AB validity OR AB reliability OR AB consistency)
Embase	(depressionxl OR “distress syndrome” :cl OR “Bech-Rafaelsen Melancholia scale” :cl OR “Beck Depression lnventory”:cl OR Beck Hopelessness Scale”:cl OR “Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale”:cl OR “Edinburg Postnatal Depression Scale”:cl OR “General Health Questionnaire”:cl OR “Hamilton Scale”:cl OR “Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale”:cl OR Psychiatric Symptom lndex”:cl OR “Self-Rating Depression Scale”:cl OR “Symptom Checklist 90”:cl OR depressive:ab OR depression:ab OR “psychological disttess”:ab OR idiom:ab) AND (Africa:cl OR refugee:cl OR Africa:ab) AND (“psychiatric diagnosis”cl OR diagnosis:cl OR “sensitivity and specificity”:cl OR validity:cl OR reliability:cl OR “mass screening”:cl OR “factorial analysis”:cl OR “Rasch analysis”:cl OR psychometry:cl OR screening:ab OR psychometric:ab OR “factor analysis”:ab OR “factor structure”:ab OR “Rasch analysis”:ab OR “latent ttait analysis”:ab OR “construct validity”:ab OR “convergent validity”:ab OR “divergent validity”:ab OR “discriminant validity”:ab OR “content validity”:ab OR “face validity”:ab OR “criterion validity”:ab OR “concurrent validity”:ab OR “predictive validity”:ab OR validity:ab OR reliability:ab OR “consistency”:ab)
Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online	(“depressive disorder”[MeSH Terms] OR “depression”[MeSH Terms] OR “affective symptoms”[MeSH Terms] OR “mood disorders” [MeSH Terms] OR “depression postpartum” [MeSH Terms] OR “stress, psychological” [MeSH Terms] OR “depressive” [TIAB] OR “depression” [TIAB] OR “psychological distress” [TIAB] OR “idiom” [TIAB] AND (“Africa” [MeSH Terms] OR “refugees” [MeSH Terms] OR “Africa” [TIAB] AND (“diagnosis”[MeSH Terms] OR “sensitivity and specificity” [MeSH Terms] OR “reproducibility of results” [MeSH Terms] OR “validation studies as topic”[MeSH Terms] OR “validation studies”[Pubhcation type] OR “screening” [TIAB] OR “psychometric”[TIAB] OR “factor analysis”[TIAB] OR factor structure” [TIAB] OR “Rasch analysis” [TIAB] OR “latent trait analysis” [TIAB] OR “construct validity” [TIAB] OR “convergent validity” [TIAB] OR “divergent validity” [TIAB] OR “discriminant validity” [TIAB] OR “content validity” [TIAB] OR “face validity” [TIAB] OR “criterion validility” [TIAB] OR “concurrent validity” [TIAB] OR “predictive validity” [TIAB] OR “validity” [TIAB] OR “reliability”[TIAB] OR “consistency”[TIAB])
PsycINFO	(DE “affective disorders” OR “DE “stress” OR AB “depressive” OR AB “depression” OR AB “psychological distress” OR AB “idiom) AND (DE “African cultural groups” OR DE “refugees” OR AB “Africa”) AND (DE “test validity” OR DE “statistical validity” OR DE “factor analysis” OR DE “screening” OR DE “psychometrics” OR AB “psychometrics” OR AB “factor analysis” OR AB “factor structure” OR AB “Rasch analysis” OR AB “latent trait analysis” OR AB “construct validity” OR AB “construct validity” OR AB “convergent validity” OR AB “divergent validity” OR AB “discriminant validity” OR AB “content validity” OR AB “face validity” OR AB “criterion validity” OR AB “concurrent validity” OR AB “predictive validity” OR AB “validity” OR AB “reliability” OR AB “consistency”
World Health Organization Index Medicus	Depression or distress

^†All database searches were completed on January 27, 2012, with the exception of searches conducted using the African Journal Archive, African Journals Online, and the World Health Organization African Index Medicus, which were completed May 30, 2012. The Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online search was updated on January 23, 2013.