Mood Disorder Assessment in Northern Plains Indians
The Native American Research Center for Health's Mood Disorder Assessment Validation Study looks at tests used in mental health settings to detect depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and post-traumatic stress to determine if they are actually effective with American Indians. Most of the tests used today have been examined with the general population, but not with American Indians. The research will look at how both men and women who are depressed, anxious, or have no mental health problems answer the questions to see if they accurately identify those with mood disorders. North and South Dakota tribes will participate in the study.
Overview
American Indians have the highest per capita suicide rate compared to other ethnic groups in the U.S. It is often difficult to differentiate between anxiety and depression, and yet the treatment methods may differ. Furthermore, many psychological assessments are used with native populations without assessment of their validity and reliability within these populations. This study will examine the validity and reliability of mood disorder assessments routinely used in behavioral health clinics for their appropriateness with Northern Plains Indians.
The study will compare responses to a series of assessment instruments by diagnosed depressed and non-depressed and anxious and non-anxious Northern Plains Indians. The specific aims are to:
Collect normative data on commonly used clinical mood disorder assessments.
Analyze the reliability of each of the measures with Northern Plains Indians when compared to the general population published reliability.
Examine which symptoms of the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised will differentiate between the three groups: diagnosed depressed, diagnosed anxious, and normal and the effect of substance use on those results.
Examine the relationship of quality of life to the depressed, anxious and normal groups.
The assessments include: Center for Epidemiology Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D), Tri-Ethnic Depression Scale (TEDS), Beck Depression Inventory – II (BDI-II), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory-III (SASSI-3), Quality of Life Inventory (QOLI), and the Northern Plains Bicultural Inventory (NPBI).
