Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS)

The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) is a self-report measure of depression in older adults. Users respond in a “Yes/No” format. The GDS was originally developed as a 30-item instrument. Since this version proved both time-consuming and difficult for some patients to complete, a 15-item version was developed. The short form (GDS-S) consists of 15 items selected from the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-L). These 15 items were selected because of their high correlation with depressive symptoms in previous validation studies (Sheikh & Yesavage, 1986). Of the 15 items, 10 indicate the presence of depression when answered positively, while the other 5 are indicative of depression when answered negatively. This form can be completed in about 5 to 7 minutes, making it ideal for people who tire easily or have limited ability to concentrate for long periods of time. The 30- and 15-item versions are widely used in caregiving research (e.g., Fauth et al., 2013, and Gaugler et al., 2015, and Gaugler et al., 2014, and Dissanayaka et al., 2017, respectively).

A validation study was conducted by Sheikh and Yesavage (1986) in which the GDS-S was compared with the GDS-L in differentiating depressed from non-depressed patients. Both measures were successful in classifying the 2 populations accurately with a reported correlation of r = .84, p < .001.

Shorter 10-, 4-, and 1-item versions have also been developed. The GDS-S can be used appropriately in various populations (e.g., Luchsinger et al., 2018).