The reliability and validity of the inventory to diagnose depression in alcohol-dependent men and women.

PURPOSE

This study examined the reliability and validity of the Inventory to Diagnose Depression (IDD) in alcohol-dependent men and women. The IDD is a self-report instrument that provides a continuous score reflecting depression severity and a DSM-IV major depression diagnosis (MDD).

METHODS

Participants (N = 57) were administered the IDD, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the mood module of the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM (SCID).

RESULTS

Internal reliability and item-total correlations were generally good and the IDD severity score correlated highly with the BDI. The diagnostic performance of the IDD using the DSM-IV scoring algorithm was good overall but excellent for currently abstinent participants and fair for participants who had recently consumed alcohol. The IDD cut-off score for identifying cases of depression appears stringent compared to the BDI and SCID.

IMPLICATIONS

The present investigation provides some support for the use of the IDD with abstinent alcoholic outpatient samples when a self-report diagnostic instrument is desirable. For a current drinker, a positive IDD does not distinguish between an alcohol-induced depression and MDD.