VALIDATION OF THE ARMENIAN CENTER FOR EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES DEPRESSION SCALE (CES-D) AMONG ETHNIC ARMENIANS IN LEBANON

Background: The aim of this paper is to report on the Armenian version of the 20-item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (Armenian CES-D) and its validity and reliability when administered to a community sample of ethnic Armenians in Lebanon. Method: A total of 172 participants completed the Armenian CES-D Scale, the Mood Rating Scale, the Armenian Psychological Well-Being Scale and the General Family Functioning Scale. The factor structure and internal consistency of the Armenian CES-D and its correlation with the remaining measures were evaluated. Results: Two factors correlating r = 0.34 with each other were obtained. The depression factor comprised 16 psychological, somatic and interpersonal expressions of depressive symptoms and correlated r = 0.97 with Armenian CES-D scores. The well-being factor comprised four positive expressions of affect and correlated r = 0.34 with Armenian CES-D scores. Depression scores correlated r = -0.39 with psychological well-being scores, r = -0.34 with mood ratings and r = -0.23 with family functioning scores; the comparable correlations for well-being scores were r = -0.46, r = -0.41, and r = -0.33, respectively. Conclusions: The Armenian CES-D is likely measuring two distinct aspects of mental health, depression and well-being, and the depression factor may be as adequate in measuring the Armenian depressed mind as the 20-item Armenian CES-D Scale.