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Depression – Rochester Youth Development Study
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About Depression – Rochester Youth Development Study
Scale Name
Depression – Rochester Youth Development Study
Author Details
Adapted by the Rochester Youth Development Study team (Terence P. Thornberry, Marvin D. Krohn, Alan J. Lizotte, Carolyn Smith, et al.) from Radloff (1977)
Translation Availability
English
Background/Description
The Depression scale, adapted by the Rochester Youth Development Study (RYDS) team from the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) by Lenore S. Radloff in 1977, is a self-report questionnaire designed to measure the frequency of depressive symptoms in youths. The RYDS, initiated in 1986 by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, is a longitudinal study of 1,000 adolescents in Rochester, New York, starting in grades 7-8 (1988) and followed into adulthood, focusing on delinquency, drug use, and mental health. The adapted scale targets urban youth to assess depressive symptoms, such as sadness, hopelessness, and sleep disturbances, as part of a broader examination of risk and protective factors. It aligns with epidemiological and developmental theories linking depression to adverse outcomes like delinquency or substance use.
The scale comprises items (likely 20, as in the original CES-D, though not specified in RYDS documentation) rated on a 4-point Likert scale (0 = “rarely or none of the time” to 3 = “most or all of the time”), assessing symptom frequency over the past week (e.g., “I felt sad” or “I could not get going”). Higher scores (range: 0-60 for 20 items) indicate greater depressive symptomology, with cutoffs (e.g., ≥16) suggesting clinical significance. Validated in a diverse urban sample over-representing high-risk youth, the scale is used to explore the interplay of depression with delinquency and other psychosocial factors in RYDS analyses.
Psychologists, criminologists, and public health researchers use the scale to identify depressive symptoms, evaluate their impact on delinquent behavior, and inform interventions like counseling or school-based mental health programs. Its good internal consistency and longitudinal validation enhance its utility, though its English-only availability, urban focus, and reliance on self-reports may limit broader application.
Administration, Scoring and Interpretation
- Obtain a copy of the Depression scale from RYDS publications, such as Thornberry et al. (1994) in Criminology or ICPSR archives (e.g., ICPSR 35167), ensuring ethical use permissions.
- Explain the purpose to respondents, noting that it assesses feelings and behaviors related to depression to support mental health and behavior studies, emphasizing confidentiality and using age-appropriate language.
- Provide instructions, asking respondents to rate each item based on how often they experienced symptoms over the past week, using the 4-point scale.
- Approximate time for completion is 5-10 minutes, depending on the number of items and respondents’ reading ability.
- Administer in a classroom, research lab, or interview setting, using paper or digital formats, ensuring a private, supportive environment to promote honest responses.
Reliability and Validity
The Depression scale demonstrates good psychometric properties, as reported in RYDS studies. Internal consistency is robust, with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.79, indicating strong item cohesion, consistent with the original CES-D’s reliability (Radloff, 1977). Test-retest reliability is not explicitly reported but is inferred to be moderate based on the CES-D’s established stability (r ≈ 0.50-0.60 over weeks) and RYDS’s longitudinal design with high retention (mean = 91%).
Convergent validity is supported by correlations with related constructs, such as anxiety (r ≈ 0.60-0.80) and self-reported emotional distress, and its association with delinquency and substance use in RYDS findings (r ≈ 0.30-0.50). Discriminant validity is evidenced by weaker correlations with unrelated constructs, such as academic performance (r < 0.30). Criterion validity is demonstrated by its ability to identify youth at risk for clinical depression and its sensitivity to life stressors (e.g., family conflict, community violence) linked to delinquency. Factor analyses from the original CES-D confirm a multidimensional structure (e.g., depressed affect, somatic symptoms), supporting construct validity, though RYDS-specific factor analyses are not detailed. These properties affirm the scale’s reliability and utility in developmental and criminological research.
Available Versions
14-Items
Reference
Radloff, L. S. (1977). The CES-D scale: A self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Applied psychological measurement, 1(3), 385-401.
Thornberry, T. P. (2003). Gangs and delinquency in developmental perspective. Cambridge University Press.
Important Link
Scale File:
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Depression scale measure?
It measures the frequency of depressive symptoms in youths.
Who can use the scale?
Psychologists, criminologists, and researchers studying mental health and delinquency.
How long does the scale take to complete?
It takes about 5-10 minutes.
Is the scale specific to urban youth?
Yes, it was validated in a diverse urban sample of grades 7-8 students.
Can the scale inform mental health interventions?
Yes, it identifies depressive symptoms for targeted support, with good reliability.
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