THE CHILDRENS DEPRESSION INVENTORY - A COMPARISON OF GENERALIZABILITY AND CLASSICAL TEST THEORY ANALYSES

Issues surrounding accurate assessment of depression in children have received much attention. However, the stability of scores from depression measures has generally been estimated using only classical test score theory, rather than the more powerful generalizability theory. This study investigated the dependability of scores from the Children's Depression Inventory using both generalizability and classical test score analyses. Results suggest that the sources of error variance interact to decrease the dependability of CDI scores. Several sample measurement protocols were also investigated. Results indicate that depression in children might be better assessed using planned, multiple testing sessions.