The Children’s Depression Inventory

Author: Maria Kovacs, PhD

A brief self-report test that helps assess cognitive, affective and behavioral signs of depression in children and adolescents 6 to 17 years old.

The Children’s Depression Inventory contains 27 items, each of which consists of three statements. For each item, the individual is asked to select the statement that best describes his or her feelings for the past two weeks. The assessment is designed for a variety of situations, including schools, child guidance clinics, pediatric practices, and child psychiatric settings.

How to Use This Test

The Children’s Depression Inventory is used by clinicians and counselors to help:

• Assess self-reported key symptoms of depression, such as a child’s feelings of worthlessness and loss of interest in activities



• Support diagnosis and treatment planning



• Conduct clinical research

Key Features

• The CDI test can facilitate the multifaceted evaluation of children or adolescents.



• The 27-item CDI is brief and easy to administer which helps keep the cost of assessment within reimbursement guidelines, allowing you to be reimbursed for your time. A shorter 10-item form also is available.



• The CDI can be administered individually or to groups.



• The specially-designed QuikScore™ format allows you to score and evaluate results easily.

Quick Facts

Scales

• Negative Mood
• Interpersonal Difficulties
• Negative Self-Esteem
• Ineffectiveness
• Anhedonia

Norms

The normative sample used for scoring the CDI was divided into groups based on age (ages 6–11, 12–17) and gender. The normative sample includes 1,266 public school students (592 boys, 674 girls), 23% of whom were African-American, American Indian or Hispanic in origin. Twenty percent of the children came from single-parent homes.

The internal consistency coefficients range from .71 to .89 and the test-retest coefficients range from .74 to .83 (time interval two-three weeks). The CDI Manual documents the discriminant and concurrent validity research, the factor structure, and the CDI’s sensitivity to change. The manual also includes an annotated bibliography.

Report Options

Profile Report
Presents a total score as well as scores for each scale.

Adult Personality - Adolescent Personality - Biopsychosocial - Careers - Achievement/Cognitive
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