Comparison of the PHQ-9 and CES-D depression scales in systemic sclerosis: internal consistency reliability, convergent validity and clinical correlates

Abstract

The PHQ-9 is reliable and valid for use as a measure of depressive symptom severity in patients with SSc and performs similarly to the CES-D. However, the PHQ-9 is advantageous because it is half the length of the CES-D, easily administered and scored, and is increasingly used across many patient groups for assessment in research and clinical settings.