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Description
BACKGROUND: The COVID-19, as a global health threat, prompted countries to impose measures to limit its transmission. One of the common mental disorders currently being investigated as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic is major depression. However, there is a disconcerting issue in assessing depression amid the pandemic. It has been noted that most studies investigating depression did not examine the psychometric soundness of their scales in the context of the pandemic. To address this gap, this study intends to examine the validity, reliability, and utility of Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) as a measure of COVID-19 pandemic-related depression.
METHODS: Utilizing 3032 teachers, this study established evidence of validity. To demonstrate construct-related validity, we examined and identified the best-fitting model from the five a-priori models. To evince criterion-related validity, the major depressive disorder (MDD) best-fitting model was correlated with mental health outcomes. The reliability of PHQ-9 was substantiated by analyzing internal consistency of the items.
RESULTS: The results show PHQ-9 to be construct-valid as evidenced by excellent fit indices of the two-factor model 2a. The findings confirm this model to best represent MDD symptoms. Criterion-related evidence of validity was demonstrated with the significant relationship of model 2a’s two factors (somatic and non-somatic factors) to psychological distress, somatic symptoms, and depression. The scale is reliable as established by higher internal consistency coefficients.
CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the findings suggest that PHQ-9 is a valid, reliable, and utilizable scale in assessing depression symptoms in the context of a pandemic or health-related epidemic. Additionally, the data supporting model 2a could be a basis in developing a more nuanced intervention addressing the MDD’s two-factor symptom structure.
Key words: COVID-19; major depression; factor structure; Filipino teachers
