Psychometric evaluation of the PHQ-9 in university students: Factorial validity and measurement equivalence across three African countries

Malose Makhubela, Itumeleng P. Khumalo

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

With the rising rates of depression and suicidality among university students, accurate measures of depression have become an essential public health matter. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) is one of the measures often used to estimate and compare group depression prevalence rates. In this study we examined the factor structure, measurement invariance (country and gender), and reliability of the PHQ-9 in a sample of university students (N = 1064; Mage = 22.67 yrs., SD = 5.17; 61% = Female) from three African countries (South Africa, Kenya, Ghana). Four alternative factor structures of the PHQ-9 (i.e., one-factor and three correlated two-factor models) were tested with confirmatory factor analysis. Results supported the two-factor model (somatic and non-somatic factors), and the measure was invariant across gender and the three African countries. The findings suggest that the PHQ-9 may be suitable for estimating and comparing depression prevalence across groups of African university students.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)18061-18069
Number of pages9
JournalCurrent Psychology
Volume42
Issue number21
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jul 2023
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Depression
  • Factor structure
  • Measurement invariance
  • Multi-country
  • PHQ-9

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Psychology

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