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The CES-D Scale
Lenore Sawyer Radloff. Applied Psychological Measurement, 1977-06-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
The CES-D scale is a short self-report scale designed to measure depressive symptomatology in the general population. The items of the scale are symptoms associated with depression which have been used in previously validated longer scales. The new scale was tested in household interview surveys and in psychiatric settings. It was found to have very high internal consistency and adequate test- retest repeatability. Validity was established by pat terns of correlations with other self-report measures, by correlations with clinical ratings of depression, and by relationships with other variables which support its construct validity. Reliability, validity, and factor structure were similar across a wide variety of demographic characteristics in the general population samples tested. The scale should be a useful tool for epidemiologic studies of de pression.
Key findings
- The items of the scale are symptoms associated with depression which have been used in previously validated longer scales.
Why it matters
The CES-D scale is a short self-report scale designed to measure depressive symptomatology in the general population, tested in household interview surveys and psychiatric settings. It was found to have very high internal consistency and adequate test-retest repeatability, and the authors state it should be a useful tool for epidemiologic studies of depression.
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 51/100
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.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Applied Psychological Measurement) |
| Journal's citation record | 1 / 4 | Applied Psychological Measurement: journal h-index 129 (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 | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 1977 — 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 53,441 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 5 / 5 | 1,047.9 citations a year over 51 year(s) since 1977 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 11.4× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 5 / 6 | Cited by 177 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 4 / 4 | Cited 5,666 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 1 / 4 | Last-listed author Lenore Sawyer Radloff: h-index 11 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | National Institute of Mental Health: institution h-index 907 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 3 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 1 / 2 | Not in PubMed, but has a DOI |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 51 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1177/014662167700100306
- Original source →
- Free full text: University of Minnesota Digital Conservancy (University of Minnesota) →
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
Radloff, L. S. (1977). The CES-D Scale. Applied Psychological Measurement. https://doi.org/10.1177/014662167700100306
Vancouver
Radloff LS. The CES-D Scale. Applied Psychological Measurement. 1977. doi:10.1177/014662167700100306.
BibTeX
@article{radloff1977-19e40d8f,
author = {Radloff, Lenore Sawyer},
title = {{The CES-D Scale}},
journal = {Applied Psychological Measurement},
year = {1977},
doi = {10.1177/014662167700100306},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1177/014662167700100306}
}
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