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Children's depression, gender and age norms for an Irish national (primary) school population

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2014

Fiona Meehan ,
Frank Houghton ,
Hilary Cowley ,
Sharon Houghton  and
Kevin Kelleher
Fiona Meehan*
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health, HSE Mid-West Area, Limerick (while on placement from the Psychology Department, Mary Immaculate College, Limerick)
Frank Houghton
Affiliation:
Limerick Institute of Technology
Hilary Cowley
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health, HSE Mid-West Area, Limerick
Sharon Houghton
Affiliation:
CAMHS, HSE Mid-West Area, Limerick
Kevin Kelleher
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health, HSE Mid-West Area, Limerick, Ireland
*
Correspondence E-mail: fi_meehan@hotmail.com
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Abstract

Objectives: To provide normative data for older national (primary) school children, broken down by age and gender, for the Children's Depression Inventory-Short version (CDI-S) and revised norms for the Children's Depression Inventory-Parent version (CDI-P) and its subscales.

Method: Forty-three randomly selected national schools took part in this study. Participants were 1,255, fifth and sixth class, Irish national school children who completed the Children's Depression Inventory Short Form (CDI-S). In total 1,018 parents completed the corresponding parent form, the Children's Depression Inventory-Parent version (CDI-P).

Results: Norms for the CDI-S and the CDI-P subscales were produced. Revised norms for the CDI-P are proposed. Results revealed no significant age or gender difference in depressive symptomatology as measured by respondent's CDI-S and total CDI-P scores. Parent's ratings of their children's depression levels (CDI-P) and children's self-reported depression levels (CDI-S) were significantly correlated. The CDI-S and CDI-P displayed good internal reliability.

Conclusion: Results indicate the utility of both the CDI-S and the CDI-P for assessing depressive symptoms in national school children in Ireland. This study confirms that national school children do display symptoms of depression. School based policies, materials and services supporting and promoting positive mental health should be developed, implemented and resourced.

Keywords

Children's Depression Inventory Short Form (CDI-S)Children's Depression Inventory Parent form (CDI-P); GenderAge normsPrimary school populationSelf-report
Type
Original Papers
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 25 , Issue 3 , September 2008 , pp. 88 - 94
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

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