Psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 in users of the Ecuadorian public health care system

Introduction: Depression is one of the most prevalent public health problems worldwide and remains an underdiagnosed disease, especially in developing countries. The availability of instruments that permit detecting this problem is essential for reducing the burden of this disorder. The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties (factor structure, sex invariance, internal consistency, and convergent and divergent validity) of the Spanish version of the PHQ-9 (Patient Health Questionnaire-9). Method: A sample of 366 public hospital users in Ecuador was recruited and accordingly completed a survey that included sociodemographic data, the PHQ-9, and other standards of measurement such as the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), the Generalised Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS), and the Quality-of-Life Index (QLI). Results: The unidimensional factor model of the PHQ-9 provided the best fit for the data. The PHQ-9 assesses depressive symptoms equivalently in both sexes, and presents high internal consistency, as well as good convergent and divergent validity with the other constructs. Conclusion: The application of the PHQ-9 could aid in the screening of patients with depressive symptomatology in the Ecuadorian public health system (EPHS).

Introducción: La depresión es uno de los problemas de salud pública más prevalentes a nivel mundial, y suele ser subdiagnosticada especialmente en países en vías de desarrollo. Contar con instrumentos que permitan realizar un cribado de este problema es fundamental para reducir el costo de este trastorno. El objetivo de este artículo fue examinar las propiedades psicométricas (estructura factorial, invarianza en función del sexo, consistencia interna, validez convergente y divergente) de la versión española del PHQ-9 (Patient Health Questionnaire-9). Método: Se reclutó una muestra de 366 usuarios de un hospital público en Ecuador, los cuales respondieron una encuesta que incluía datos sociodemográficos, el PHQ-9, el inventario de depresión de Beck-II (BDI-II), la Escala de Trastorno de Ansiedad Generalizada-7 (GAD-7), la Escala de Afecto Positivo y Negativo (PANAS), y el índice de calidad de vida (QLI). Resultados: El modelo unidimensional del PHQ-9 proporcionó mejor ajuste de los datos. El PHQ-9 evalúa síntomas depresivos de forma equivalente en ambos sexos y presenta una elevada consistencia interna, así como una buena validez convergente y divergente con el resto de los constructos. Conclusión: La administración del PHQ-9 podría apoyar el cribado de pacientes con sintomatología depresiva en el sistema público de salud ecuatoriano (SSPE).

Cultural adaptation of the Smiling is Fun program for the treatment of depression in the Ecuadorian public health care system: A study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Depression is one of the world's major health problems. Due to its high prevalence, it constitutes the first cause of disability among the Americas, where only a very low percentage of the population receives the adequate evidence-based psychological treatment. Internet-Based Interventions (IBIs) are a great alternative to reduce the treatment gap for mental disorders. Although there are several studies in low-and middle-income countries proving IBIs' feasibility and acceptability, there is still little evidence of the effectiveness in diverse social and cultural contexts such as Latin America. METHODS: Two studies will be described: Study 1 is focused on the cultural adaptation of a cognitive-behavioral IBI Smiling is Fun (Botella et al. 2012, 2015) for Ecuadorian population with depression based on the procedure by Salamanca-Sanabria et al. (2018). Study 2 describes the design of a randomized controlled trial to test the preliminary efficacy of the culturally adapted intervention in a Public Health Care setting. A total of 153 patients with mild to moderate degree of depression as assessed with the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.) and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) will be randomly assigned to either an IBI group using only automated support by the system; an IBI group including also minimal human support; or a waiting list group. The primary outcome (depression) and secondary outcomes (e.g., anxiety, affect, quality of life) will be collected at baseline, 3, 6 and 12 months. Mixed-model analyses with no ad hoc imputations will be conducted. DISCUSSION: This paper is pioneering in exploring the role of an Internet-based culturally adapted intervention for depression in a public care context in Ecuador. Results obtained will offer new insights into the viability and effectiveness of digital technologies for the psychological treatment of mental illnesses in developing countries.