# Validation of the Brief Children’s Depression Rating Scale in Children Treated With Selegiline Transdermal Patch vs Placebo

## TL;DR

A shorter version of a depression rating scale for children was tested and found to work well in tracking treatment progress.

## Contribution

The first validation of a 5-item brief depression rating scale in a placebo-controlled trial for adolescents with depression.

## Key findings

- The BCDRS-R5 showed good internal consistency and sensitivity to change over 12 weeks of treatment.
- A single-factor structure was supported for the BCDRS-R5.
- The brief scale performed similarly to the longer CDRS-R17 in detecting response and remission.

## Abstract

Brief adaptations of existing rating scales may have advantages for research and clinical practice. This study examined the relative performance and psychometric properties of the 5-item Brief Children’s Depression Rating Scale–Revised (BCDRS-R5) in the context of a placebo-controlled clinical trial.

The present study evaluated the internal consistency, scale dimensionality, relative performance in identifying remission and response, and sensitivity to change of the BCDRS-R5 in outpatients (N = 296) 12 to 17 years of age with major depressive disorder enrolled in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel group trial of the selegiline transdermal patch.

The Cronbach coefficient alpha of the BCDRS-R5 ranged from 0.679 at baseline to 0.866 at week 12. A 1-factor solution for the BCDRS-R5 is suggested by the principal component analysis. The BCDRS-R5 demonstrated good accuracy in detecting response and remission.

The BCDRS-R5 has good performance and is sensitive to change in symptom severity over 12 weeks of treatment, with either medication or placebo, when compared with the longer, standard CDRS-R17.

Phase IV:Safety and Efficacy of EMSAM in Adolescents With Major Depression; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT00531947

We actively worked to promote sex and gender balance in our author group. We actively worked to promote inclusion of historically underrepresented racial and/or ethnic groups in science in our author group. While citing references scientifically relevant for this work, we also actively worked to promote sex and gender balance in our reference list. While citing references scientifically relevant for this work, we also actively worked to promote inclusion of historically underrepresented racial and/or ethnic groups in science in our reference list.

Brief adaptations of clinical rating scales may help streamline research and measurement-based care. This study examined data from a prior clinical trial of selegiline for adolescents with depression (N = 296). The goal was to study the performance of a brief, 5-item version of the Children’s Depression Rating Scale–Revised (BCDRS-R5). This rating scale appeared to have similar properties as compared to the standard 17-item Children’s Depression Rating Scale–Revised (CDRS-R17) from which the BCDRS-R5 was derived. This study is the first psychometric validation of the BCDRS-R5 in the context of a placebo randomized controlled trial for adolescents with major depressive disorder. Results suggest the brief scale has good performance and is sensitive to change in symptom severity over time.