Using the Patient Health Questionnaire as a tool to screen for depression in people with multiple sclerosis
Nov 2022: A recent research study has evaluated whether an established questionnaire on depression is useful to use for people with MS.
Low mood and depression affect as many as half of all people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) at some point in their illness.
Anne Rowling Clinic researchers recently undertook a study called PHQiMS. The study's objective was to evaluate the reliability, validity, and acceptability of a questionnaire called the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) as a screening tool for depressive symptoms in pwMS.
Participants in the study completed online questionnaires at 3 time points over 4 weeks. These included the Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale (MSIS-29), the Centers for Disease Control Health-Related Quality of Life Measure (CDC-HQOL-4), clinical history, and the PHQ-9 questionnaire.
The researchers concluded that the PHQ-9 questionnaire is a reliable and valid measure of depressive symptoms in people with MS. Given its accessibility, ease of administration, and acceptability, they would recommend the PHQ-9 as a tool to screen for depressive symptoms in people with MS.
The results of the study were published in the journal BMC Psychology in November 2022.Related links
Funders
Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic