Table 2.
Summary of the depression severity scales used in the included studies.
| Instruments (no. of study) | Objective | Rater; number of item; rating scale | Categorization/cutoff |
|---|---|---|---|
| SCL-90R, DEP subscale (n = 1) [29] | To reflect the psychological symptom patterns in 9 domains: somatization/obsessive-compulsive/sensitivity/depression/anxiety/hostility/phobic anxiety/paranoid ideation/psychoticism | PRO; 90 items (DEP: n = 13); 5-point scale (0∼4)a | A T-scoreb ranging from 40 to 60 represents the normal rangec |
| BDI, DEP specific (n = 2) [30, 33] | To measure the severity of depression in adults and adolescents, two subscales include a cognitive-affective subscale and a somatic-performance subscale | PRO; 21 items; 4-point scale (0∼3)a | 0–13: minimal; 14–19: mild depression; 20–28: moderate; 29–63: severed |
| In nonclinical populations, scores above 20 indicate depression | |||
|
| |||
| PMOS-full, DEP subscale (n = 1) [31] | To assess emotional states in 6 domains: depression/anxiety/fatigue/vigor/irritability/confusion | PRO; 65 items (DEP: n = 15); 5-point scale (0∼4)a | Not found |
| PMOS-brief DEP subscale (n = 1) [32] | Same as the full version | PRO; 30 items (DEP: n = 5); 5-point scale (0∼4)a | Not found |
| HAM-D DEP specific (n = 2) [26, 27] | The “gold standard” for assessing severity of depressive severity | Clinician; 17 items; 5-point scale (0–4)a (n = 8); 3-point scale (0–2)a (n = 9) | 0–7: normal; 8–16: mild; 17–23: moderate; 24–50: severee |
| HADS DEP specificf (n = 1) [28] | To assess anxiety and depression symptoms in medical patients | PRO; 14 items (DEP: n = 7); 4-point scale (0∼3)a | 0–7: normal; 8–10: mild; 11–14: moderate; 15–21: severeg |
| A cutoff of 8: clinically significant depression | |||
PRO: patient-reported outcome; DEP: depression; SCL-90R: Symptom Checklist-90-Revised; BDI: Beck Depression Inventory; PMOS: Profile of Mood States; HAM-D: Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression; HADS: Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. aHigher scores indicate depressed. bThe SCL-90-R scores are converted to standard T-scores (ranging from 30 to 80) by referring to the appropriate population-based norm tables provided by the test manual and a T-score of 50 represents the mean of the respective normal population. cHoli, M. (2003). Assessment of psychiatric symptoms using the SCL-90. dJackson-Koku, G. (2016). Beck depression inventory. Occupational Medicine, 66 (2), 174-175. eZimmerman, M., Martinez, J. H., Young, D., Chelminski, I., & Dalrymple, K. (2013). Severity classification on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. Journal of Affective Disorders, 150 (2), 384–388. fAlthough the anxiety and depression questions are interspersed within the questionnaire, it is vital that these are scored separately. gStern, A. F. (2014). The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Occupational Medicine, 64 (5), 393–394.