Development of the Battery Test for Screening of Depression and Mental Health: PROtective and Vulnerable factors battEry test–Light version

Objectives This study develops and validates PROtective and Vulnerability factors battEry test-Light version (PROVE-Lite), a shorter and more comprehensive version of the previously developed PROVE test for depression screening.PROVE-Lite was designed to assess a wider range of factors related to depression while reducing the number of items.Methods PROVE-Lite comprehensively evaluates various symptoms and risk-protective factors associated with depression, including depression symptoms, suicide risk, sleep problems, burnout syndrome, adult attachment styles, adverse childhood experiences, mentalization capacity, resilience, and financial stress.Data were collected through an online survey administering PROVE-Lite and several validation scales to 700 participants.Results Each subscale of PROVE-Lite demonstrated high convergence and discriminant validity with corresponding existing scales.The scales also showed significant differences between groups based on the severity of depressive symptoms, confirming criterion validity and discriminatory power.Analysis between PROVE-Lite scales revealed significant correlations among most of them, proving interrelationships.Regression analysis showed that risk-protective factors assessed by PROVE-Lite significantly predicted depressive symptoms and suicide risk.Internal consistency analysis confirmed satisfactory reliability levels for most scales. ConclusionBased on these results, PROVE-Lite is validated as a multifaceted depression assessment tool that inherits the strengths of the original PROVE while enhancing practicality and comprehensiveness.PROVE-Lite is expected to be useful in clinical settings for early screening of depression and developing intervention plans.