Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-mlc7c Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-13T02:47:05.308Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Gender and the children's depression inventory's (CDI) ‘crying’ question

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2014

Frank Houghton ,
Hilary Cowley ,
Kevin Kelleher  and
Sharon Houghton
Kevin Kelleher
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health, HSE-Mid-West, Pery Court, Reeves Path, Upper Mallow St, Limerick, Ireland
Sharon Houghton
Affiliation:
Brothers of Charity Services, Limerick, Ireland
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objectives: Following disruption from students, particularly boys, during the administration of item 10, the ‘feel like crying’ question, of the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI), this study sought to explore the issue of non-response to this question. It was decided that particular attention should be given to gender differences in responses and non-responses, based on the experiences of researchers administering this measure.

Method: Chi-square analysis of non-responses was conducted on CDI items collected from a total sample of 2,297 second year and pre-leaving certificate students from 23 randomly selected schools in the Mid-West region of Ireland.

Results: Analysis identified item 10 as being significantly less likely to be completed than any other item. Further analysis revealed that boys were significantly less likely to respond to this question than girls.

Conclusion: A modification of the wording to item 10 is suggested to ameliorate this difficulty.

Keywords

Children's Depression InventoryCryingGenderBoys.
Type
Brief Reports
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 22 , Issue 2 , June 2005 , pp. 52 - 56
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2005

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1.Kovacs, M. Rating scales to assess depression in school aged children. Acta Paedopsychiatrica 1981; 46: 305–15.Google ScholarPubMed
2.Kovacs, M. The Children's Depression Inventory (CDI). Psychopharmacol Bull 1985; 21:995–97.Google ScholarPubMed
3.Kovacs, M. Children's Depression Inventory manual. California: Western Psychological Services, 1992.Google Scholar
4.Kovacs, M, Beck, A. An empirical clinical approach towards a definition of childhood depression. In Schulterbrandt, J & Raskin, A eds. Depression in children: diagnosis, treatment, and conceptual models. New York: Raven Press, 1977:1–25.Google Scholar
5.Finch, A, Saylor, C, Edwards, G. Children's Depression Inventory: sex and grade norms for normal children. J Consult Clin Psychol 1985; 53: 424–5.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6.Koizumi, S. The standardisation of Children's Depression Inventory. Syoni Hoken Kenkyu [The Journal of Child Health] 1991; 50: 717–21.Google Scholar
7.Ghareeb, G, Beshai, J. Arabic version of the Children's Depression Inventory: reliability and validity. J Clin Child Psychol 1989; 18: 323–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
8.Houghton, S, O'Connell, M, O'Flaherty, A. The use of the Children's Depression Inventory in an Irish context. Ir J Psychological Med 1998; 19: 313–31.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
9.Houghton, S. Depressive symptomatology in childhood: an exploration of contributory factors. Unpublished D.Phil dissertation, University of Ulster, 1999.Google Scholar
10.Van Tilburg, MAL, Unterberg, ML, Vingerhoets, AJJM. Crying during adolescence: The role of gender, menarche, and empathy. Br J Dev Psychol 2002; 20: 77–87.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
11.Radloff, LThe CES-D scale: a self-report depression scale for research in general populations. App Psychol Meas 1977; 1: 385–401.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
12.Clark, V, Aneshensel, C, Frerichs, R, Morgan, T. Analysis of the effects of sex and age in response to items on the CES-D scale. Psychiatry Res 1981; 5: 171–81.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
13.Ross, C, Mirowsky, J. Components of depressed mood in married men and women: the Center for Epidemiologic Studies' Depression Scale. Am J Epidemiol 1984; 119: 997–1004.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
14.Olsson, G, von Knorring, A. Beck's Depression Inventory as a screening instrument for adolescent depression in Sweden: gender differences. Acta Psychiatr Scand 1997; 95: 277–82.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
15.Golding, J, Aneshensel, C, Hough, R. Responses to Depression Scale items among Mexican-Americans and non-Hispanic whites. J Clin Psychol 1991; 47: 61–75.3.0.CO;2-E>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
16.Strommel, M, Given, B, Given, C, Kalaian, H, Schulz, R, McCorkle, R. The effect of gender and race on the measurement properties of the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Psychiatry Res 1993; 49: 239–50.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
17.Cole, S, Kawachi, I, Mailer, S, Berkman, LTest of item-response bias in the CES-D scale: experience from the New Haven EPESE study. J Clin Epidemiol 2000 1: 285–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
18.Salokangas, R, Vaahtera, K, Pacriev, S, Sohlman, B, Lehtinen, V. Gender differences in depressive symptoms: an artefact caused by measurement instruments? J Affect Disord 2002; 68: 215–20.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
19.Salokangas, R, Poutanen, O, Stengard, E. Screening for depression in primary care: development and validation of the Depression Scale (DEPS), a screening instrument for depression. Acta Psychiatr Scand 1995; 92:10–16.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
20.Lombardo, W, Cretser, G, Lombardo, B, Mathis, S. For cryin' out loud: there is a sex difference. Sex Roles 1983; 9: 987–95.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
21.Williams, D, Morris, G. Crying, weeping or tearfulness in British and Israeli adults. Br J Psychol 1996; 87: 479–505.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
22.Riesman, C, Gerstel, N, editors. Gender differences in idioms of distress after divorce. Association paper ASA, 1989.Google Scholar
23.Hammen, C, Padeskym, C. Sex differences in the expression of depressive responses on the Beck Depression Inventory. J Abnorm Psychol 1977; 36: 609–14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
24.Houghton, F, Cowley, H, Houghton, S, Kelleher, K. The Children's Depression Inventory short form (CDI-S) in an Irish context. Ir J Psychological Med - forthcoming.Google Scholar
25.Rottenberg, J, Gross, JJ, Wilhelm, FH, Najmi, S, Gotlib, IH. Crying Threshold and Intensity in Major Depressive Disorder. J Abnorm Psychol 2002; 2: 302–12.CrossRefGoogle Scholar