The Center for Epidemiologic Studies publishes an excellent free psychological screening instrument for major depression called the The Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D). The CES-D serves a similar purpose as the ever popular Beck Depression Inventory-II, but with greater emphasis on the affective components of depression. The cost of this instrument ($0) makes it an attractive option to costly copyrighted depression scales. The CES-D is available in the public domain so check the end of this review to download the Stanford edition of the CES-D.
CES General Information
The CES-D is a 20-item self-report adult instrument designed to measure common symptoms of depression that have occurred over the past week, such as poor appetite, hopelessness, pessimism, and fatigue (Radloff, 1977). The CES-D takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. Questions are drawn from other depression inventories, such as the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (Zung SDS), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Raskin Scale. All questions are answered on a scale of 0-3, with 0 indicating no symptom presence and with 3 representing symptoms “most or all of the time.” CES-D scores range from 0 to 60 with higher scores indicating more severe depressive symptoms. A score of 16 or higher identifies subjects with clinically meaningful depression (Radloff, 1977).
CES-D Psychometrics
Research demonstrates that the CES-D is valid and reliable instrument that can be used in research, and possibly clinical practice, to screen for common symptoms of major depression. The CES is particularly popular among researchers. Internal consistency using coefficient alpha is estimated to be .85 for the general population (healthy) and .90 in patient samples (Radloff, 1977). Most estimates of test-retest reliability from 2 weeks to 12 months fall in the moderate range (.45-.70); however, Radloff (1977) points out that moderate test-retest estimates are consistent with the CES-D’s design, which emphasizes current affective symptoms that are expected to fluctuate between test administrations. Researchers have also investigated the reliability and validity of the CES-D with African American, Asian American, French, Greek, Hispanic, Japanese, and Yugoslavian populations (Naughton and Wiklund 1993).
Summary
The CES-D is a cost effective, reliable, and valid screening instrument used to quickly assess the behavioral, cognitive, and affective symptoms of depression. The CES-D can be used without permission and is free of charge.
Download
Download the CES-D (Stanford Edition) CES-D Standford Version.
Reference:
Naughton MJ, & Wiklund I (1993). A critical review of dimension-specific measures of health-related quality of life in cross-cultural research. Qual Life Res 2:397–432.
Radloff, L. S. (1977). The CES-D scale: A self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Applied Psychological Measurement, 1, 385-401.
Good Evening Dr. Fisher,
My name is Alma Bonifacio and I am a California State University, Los Angeles Student. I am currently working on my thesis which is about male depression and I am also helping teachers in a research study they are planning to conduct that talks about depression too.
I would like to know if we need your permission to use CES-D scale?
Hi Alma,
Sorry for the slow reply. I am have been extremely busy with my private practice and have gotten behind in all things BMED Report. You do not need my permission to use the CES-D. This is a freely published scale that any can use without permission.
Good luck with your research!
Dr. Fisher
Thank you so much Dr. Fisher!
You are very welcome. Thank you for your readership.
Dr. Fisher
r/sir
i m the student of m.phil psychology , my research topic is ” depression and quality of life of disabled children”. i need your permission to use it. reply quickly plz.
i tried to access the original author of ces-d, Radloff. but i cant. plz Dr Fisher help me in this regard. i ill b watng. thanx
Sanakaramat – the CES-D is in the public domain. You do not need anyone’s permission. Just provide references for the articles you reference in your paper. Good luck with your research!
Dr. Fisher
okay.. thanks alot
Hello sir.. I am a nursing student in Velez College Philippines, I would like to ask you if there are any disadvantages to this assessment tool towards Geriatric patients??
What is the literacy level of the CES-D scale? Thanks, Monica
I do not recall any research on the specific literacy level of the CES-D scale. The questions are fairly basic, and I haven’t run into any patients who were unable to answer them.
Hi, Dr, Fisher, I´m studying a masters about clinical investigation, I want to do a studying about depression and diabetes, so I´m lóoking for this article: The CES-D Scale: A Self-Report Depression Scale for Research in the General Population
Applied Psychological Measurement June 1977 1: 385-401, but can´t find it free, do you know a page where it can be free??
thanks
I did a search of Google Scholar, and I found the article you seek here: http://conservancy.umn.edu/bitstream/11299/98561/1/v01n3p385.pdf
I hope this helps!
Dr. Chris Fisher
Dear Mr. Fisher,
for my master thesis i need the CES-D in Italian, as im doing a cultural comparison between German and Italian people.
Do you kow whether there exists an Italian translation or one you could send to me?
Kind regards,
Corinna Dierksmeier
Sorry for the slow reply.
I am not aware of an Italian version of the CES-D. Sorry I could not be of more help.
Respected sir
i need urdu version of Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D)…can you provide me????
thanks
What is the URDU version of the CES-D scale?
Good Evening Dr. Fisher,
My name is haejin park and I am a busan national University, south korea Student. I am currently working on my thesis which is about male depression and I am also helping teachers in a research study they are planning to conduct that talks about depression too.
I would like to know if we need your permission to use CES-D scale?
Sorry for my delayed response. No permission is required for use of the CES-D Scale; this scale is available in the public domain.
Dear sir
My name is Rany. I am from Cambodia. Crently, I am doing my Master degree in South Korea.
I am working on my thesis also, I want to use this tool for my research paper.
I would like to know, is it possible to translate from English version to Cambodian version?
How can I get permission to translate this tool?
Thanks for your help
Sorry for the delayed reply.
I am uncertain who to contact with regard to translation. I searched for “Center for Epidemiologic Studies,” and I found this at University of Utah here: http://www.usu.edu/epicenter I am not sure if this is the proper contact, but it is worth a try.
i am conduction study on special children in regard i want to use this scale and other published notes kindly allow me to do it
You do not need my permission. This scale is available for free to anyone who wants to use it.
Hello Dr. Fisher,
I am a doctoral student conducting research on fatigue in active duty military women. I would like to use the CESD. My study will have an N of 149, is the CESD appropriate to use with a sample of this size?
Thanks so much!
Thanks for contacting me. The CESD is a valid and reliable measure for depression. I would anticipate that the CESD would be fine for use with a sample size of of 149. However, that is really a question for your dissertation committee. You mentioned that you are measuring “fatigue.” I assume you mean fatigue related to depression? Otherwise, I’m not sure that the CESD would be used as intended. Again, this would be a discussion between you and your dissertation committee.