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Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 3/2009

01-03-2009 | ORIGINAL PAPER

Validity of the self reporting questionnaire-20 in epidemiological studies with older adults

Results from the Sao Paulo Ageing & Health Study

Authors: Dr. Marcia Scazufca, Paulo R. Menezes, Homero Vallada, Ricardo Araya

Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology | Issue 3/2009

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Abstract

Background

This study examined the validity of the self-reporting questionnaire (SRQ-20) in a population-based survey with older adults in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Method

The study sample consisted of 2,008 individuals aged 65 years or more who were living in an economically disadvantaged area of the city. The geriatric mental state (GMS) was used as the gold standard for the assessment of common mental disorders (CMD).

Results

The optimal SRQ-20 threshold for case definition was 4/5 (sensitivity = 76.1%, specificity = 74.6%, area under ROC curve = 0.82). Women, older participants and those with lower income were more likely to be misclassified by the questionnaire. The inclusion of older persons with dementia or psychosis did not change the ability of the SRQ-20 to identify cases of CMD.

Discussion

The SRQ-20 may be a useful instrument to be used in large epidemiological studies in resource-poor settings for the identification of cases of depression and anxiety in later life. The performance of the SRQ-20 among older adults was similar to that observed with the adult population in Brazil.
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Metadata
Title
Validity of the self reporting questionnaire-20 in epidemiological studies with older adults
Results from the Sao Paulo Ageing & Health Study
Authors
Dr. Marcia Scazufca
Paulo R. Menezes
Homero Vallada
Ricardo Araya
Publication date
01-03-2009
Publisher
Steinkopff-Verlag
Published in
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology / Issue 3/2009
Print ISSN: 0933-7954
Electronic ISSN: 1433-9285
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-008-0425-y

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