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Cornell scale for depression in dementia
George S. Alexopoulos, Robert C. Abrams, Robert C. Young, Charles A. Shamoian. Biological Psychiatry, 1988-02-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
The Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia is introduced. This is a 19-item clinician-administered instrument that uses information from interviews with both the patient and a nursing staff member, a method suitable for demented patients. The scale has high interrater reliability (kw = 0.67), internal consistency (coefficient alpha: 0.84), and sensitivity. Total Cornell Scale scores correlate (0.83) with depressive subtypes of various intensity classified according to Research Diagnostic Criteria.
Why it matters
Introduces the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia, a 19-item scale a clinician completes using interviews with both the patient and a nursing staff member. The authors report good agreement between raters and good internal consistency. It is a measuring tool and does not itself treat depression or dementia.
How this study scored 48/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on strength of evidence, so that was left out: it earned 46 of the 95 points we could judge it on, which is 48 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Biological Psychiatry) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Biological Psychiatry: journal h-index 428 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | — / 5 | No evidence rating recorded — left out of this score |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 1988 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 7 / 7 | Cited 2,671 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 5 / 5 | 66.8 citations a year over 40 year(s) since 1988 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 4.4× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 177 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 1 / 4 | Last-listed author Charles A. Shamoian: h-index 18 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Cornell University: institution h-index 1,649 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 3337862) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Points | 46 / 95 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 46 of the 95 points we could judge it on is 48 out of 100. |
| Total | 48 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1016/0006-3223(88)90038-8
- PubMed: 3337862
- Original source →
- Free full text: Biological Psychiatry →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Alexopoulos, G. S., Abrams, R. C., Young, R. C., & Shamoian, C. A. (1988). Cornell scale for depression in dementia. Biological Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1016/0006-3223(88)90038-8
Vancouver
Alexopoulos GS, Abrams RC, Young RC, Shamoian CA. Cornell scale for depression in dementia. Biological Psychiatry. 1988. doi:10.1016/0006-3223(88)90038-8. PMID: 3337862.
BibTeX
@article{alexopoulos1988-3337862,
author = {Alexopoulos, George S. and Abrams, Robert C. and Young, Robert C. and Shamoian, Charles A.},
title = {{Cornell scale for depression in dementia}},
journal = {Biological Psychiatry},
year = {1988},
doi = {10.1016/0006-3223(88)90038-8},
pmid = {3337862},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/0006-3223(88)90038-8}
}
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