MEASURING DEPRESSION IN SEIZURE DISORDERS
Abstract number :
2.230
Submission category :
Year :
2004
Submission ID :
4752
Source :
www.aesnet.org
Presentation date :
12/2/2004 12:00:00 AM
Published date :
Dec 1, 2004, 06:00 AM
Authors :
1Jerzy P. Szaflarski, 2Nathan M. Griffith, 2Glenn P. Kent, 2Bruce K. Schefft, 3Magdalena Szaflarski, and 1Michael D. Privitera
Patients with seizure disorders frequently suffer from co-morbid depression. The degree of clinical depression is usually measured with Beck Depression Inventory - II (BDI-II), but research studies have also used Profile of Mood States depression/dejection subscale (POMS) to evaluate the mood state and the response to treatment. Although both measures are useful in evaluating the presence and the degree of depression, POMS is a research tool for which clinical application is unclear. The goal of this study was to provide data that would allow the use of POMS in patients with seizure disorders and to establish a formula for conversion of POMS scores into BDI-II. This would provide a beginning basis for the use of this instrument for clinical purposes. 89 patients admitted to the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit of the University Hospital in Cincinnati completed BDI-II and POMS. We used bivariate correlation methods to determine the agreement between POMS and BDI-II. Data on 89 subjects ages 18-77 were available. Mean BDI-II score was 16.5 [plusmn]SD 11.3 (min. = 0; max. = 47); mean POMS score was 14.9 [plusmn]SD 13.4 (min. = 0; max. 53). Pearson correlation between BDI-II and POMS scores was r = 0.77; p [lt] 0.001 indicating strong agreement between these measures. The following formula for conversion of the POMS scores to BDI-II scores was based on a regression equation with POMS as a predictor of BDI-II: BDI-II = 6.85 + 0.65*POMS (R2 = 0.59) where 6.85 is intercept and 0.65 is the slope or effect coefficient of the relationship. In our sample of seizure patients, the scores for POMS and BDI-II are highly correlated, suggesting concurrent validity for the POMS, and the possibility that either measure could be used to evaluate the degree of clinical depression in this population. A score of 16 on BDI-II, which is considered a cut-off point for mild depression requiring treatment, corresponds to POMS score of 14. These preliminary findings should of course be replicated in other studies before POMS is routinely used for clinical purposes.