Psychometric Properties of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 in Patients With Heart Failure and Gastrointestinal Symptoms

Background and Purpose: Patients who have coexisting medical conditions tend to be more depressed. The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability, validity, and dimensionality of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) in patients with heart failure and gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. Methods: The cross-sectional data for this secondary analysis were collected in four studies. Cronbach's alpha was used to examine reliability. Concurrent validity with the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) was examined. Results: Cronbach's alpha for the PHQ-9 was .87. Concurrent validity with BDI-II was excellent (r - .78, p < .01). Conclusions: The evidence from this study supports the reliability and validity of the PHQ-9 as a measure of depression in patients with heart failure and GI symptoms.