Psychometric Properties of the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS-SR) in Iranian Military Community

Background and Aim: Military personnel are prone to depression due to their job’s nature and requirements. Therefore, the use of accurate and efficient screening tools to diagnose depression is essential. The aim of this study is to investigate the psychometric properties of the Iranian version of the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-Self Report (QIDS-SR) in the military community. Methods: The present study is a descriptive-correlational and validation study. In this regard, a sample of 410 volunteers was chosen from the 505th specialized military psychiatric hospital of the Islamic Republic of Iran. In addition to the demographic questionnaire, participants also completed the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-Self Report (QIDS-SR) and the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II). Then the face and content validity, internal consistency, test-retest validity, cut-off point, and sensitivity and specificity of the inventory were analyzed by using qualitative method, Cronbach's alpha, Pearson correlation coefficient, independent means comparison test, and receiver operating curve analysis which were all done via the SPSS-26 software. Results: The results showed that this inventory has good content and face validity. The internal consistency of 0.91 and the reliability coefficient of the test-retest indicates the stability of the scores in the interval of 3 days. The independent t-test showed that this inventory can differentiate between depressed and non-depressed people. The sensitivity of the inventory was 0.87 and its specificity was 0.73. Therefore, according to the most appropriate sensitivity and specificity, the cut-off point of the quick inventory of depressive symptomatology was 17. Conclusion: The findings indicated that the list of quick inventory of depressive symptomatology has good validity and reliability among the Iranian military population and can be used in research and clinical situations.