Reliability and Validity of the full-length Greek-Cypriot version of the Children’s Depression Inventory 2 (CDI-2)

Abstract

Background: The Children’s Depression Inventory is probably the most widely used and cited self-reported depressive symptoms scale for children. The present study aims to investigate the reliability and validity of the full-length Greek-Cypriot version of the Children’s Depression Inventory 2 (CDI-2) among schoolchildren in Cyprus. Methods: A methodological instrument validation design was carried out on a nationwide random sample of public elementary schools between 2020 and 2023. The internal consistency and construct validity of the CDI-2 was assessed. The internal consistency of the CDI-2 was assessed by Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Guttman split-half alpha for the entire scale, while Cronbach’s alpha was also calculated for each subscale. The CDI-2 factors were determined using the factor analysis approach with Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Varimax rotation. The Bartlett's test was also assessed to examine the appropriateness of factor analysis. Results: The final sample consisted of 552 schoolchildren, of whom 73 (14.3 %) reported clinical depressive symptoms. The internal consistency reliability was α= .907 as well as the Guttman split-half coefficient (.884). In addition, Cronbach's alpha was equally adequate for the subscales, specifically, the measurements ranged from .698 to .853. Factor analysis with Varimax rotation resulted in six factors explaining 55% of the variance. Conclusion: As a result, the Greek-Cypriot version of the CDI-2 has excellent reliability and validity and is a reliable instrument for assessing depressive symptoms.