Assessment and detection of depression in patients with coronary artery disease: validation of the Persian version of the PHQ-9.

Depression is a common comorbidity in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), which often remains undetected and untreated. This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Depression Module of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) on a sample of cardiac patients in Iran. Method: The Persian version of the PHQ-9 was developed and administered to 150 patients with CAD, admitted to a tertiary hospital in Tehran, Iran. The major depression module of the International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) was used as the gold standard for the diagnosis of depression. The Persian PHQ-9 demonstrated acceptable internal consistency, with Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.80. The optimal cut-off score of ≥7 showed a sensitivity of 76, specificity of 78, and the area under curve of 0.82. The Persian PHQ-9 has acceptable psychometric properties to screen for and detect a current depressive episode in patients with CAD, with recommended cut-off score of ≥7.