Communities That Care Youth Survey – Depressive Symptoms Scale (CTC-DS)
Measures depressive symptoms in adolescents over the past two weeks.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Communities That Care Youth Survey – Depressive Symptoms Scale (CTC-DS) was developed by Arthur, M. W., Hawkins, J. D., Catalano, R. F., & Pollard, J. A. (2002). It is designed to measure Depressive Symptoms. The scale is intended for use with Adolescents (aged 11-18).
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 13 items.
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 2 = True, 1 = Sometimes true, 0 = Not true.
Scoring
Items are summed to produce a total score.
Total scores range from 0 to 26. Interpretation guidelines:
- Normal: 0 – 11
- Elevated Depressive Symptoms: 12 – 26
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of 0.85.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 3 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.