Children’s Depression Inventory – CDI
A self-report questionnaire designed to assess the severity of depressive symptoms in children and adolescents.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Children’s Depression Inventory – CDI was developed by Maria Kovacs (1985). It is designed to measure Depression. The scale is intended for use with Children and adolescents (ages 7-17).
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 27 items organized into 5 factors/subscales: Negative Mood, Interpersonal Problems, Ineffectiveness, Anhedonia, Negative Self-Esteem.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Negative Mood | 1,6,8,10,11,13 | 6 |
| Interpersonal Problems | 5,12,26,27 | 4 |
| Ineffectiveness | 3,23,24 | 3 |
| Anhedonia | 4,16,17,18,19,20,21,22 | 8 |
| Negative Self-Esteem | 2,7,9,14,15,25 | 6 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 0 = First option (0 points), 1 = Second option (1 point), 2 = Third option (2 points).
The scale includes 13 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are summed to produce a total score.
Total scores range from 0 to 54. Interpretation guidelines:
- Normal/Minimal: 0 – 12
- Mild Depressive Symptoms: 13 – 19
- Clinically Significant Depressive Symptoms: 20 – 54
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of 0.71 – 0.89.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.