Development and psychometric evaluation of a Japanese scale to assess depression severity: Himorogi Self-Rating Depression Scale

Objective. The 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD-17) is the most widely used instrument to assess depression severity, but it has a number of limitations in clinical use. There is no depression scale designed for Japanese culture that has been shown to be valid. This study aimed to develop a Japanese depression scale, the Himorogi Self-rating Depression Scale (HSDS), and to assess psychometric properties of it. Methods. Data were collected using the HSDS and the HAMD-17 from 204 outpatients of psychiatric clinics. Follow-up data were collected three times with an interval of at least 4 weeks, and reliability and validity were longitudinally observed. Results. Principal component analysis found a uni-factorial nature for both scales. The HSDS indicated stronger factor coefficients and a larger variance than the HAMD-17. ROC analysis showed high ability to distinguish between the presence and absence or remission of depression. High convergent validity and reliability coefficients were consistently indicated. Conclusions. Although the convenience sample restricts generalisability of the findings and only a single instrument was used as a standard for comparison, reliability and validity for the HSDS was supported. The HSDS is suggested as a substitute for the HAMD-17 in clinical use.