Evaluation of the psychometric properties of patient-reported outcome measures for adolescent depression: A COSMIN systematic review

Objectives: This review evaluated the quality and suitability of current Patient-Reported Outcome Measures for measuring depressive symptoms and diagnosing depression in adolescents, including whether there is any measurement of potential developmental aetiological factors. Methods: On August 8, 2024, the databases Web of Science, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Ovid Medline were searched for studies on psychometric instruments designed to detect adolescent depressive symptoms. Two reviewers searched for relevant articles, extracted data following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, and assessed the quality of studies and instruments using the 2018 and 2024 Consensus-based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) guidelines for the systematic review of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures. Additional evaluation of instrument content assessed whether items addressed developmental aetiology. PROSPERO CRD42020175950. Results: 57 publications met the inclusion criteria, identifying 16 instruments for quality assessment. Most instruments for measuring adolescent depressive symptoms were adaptations of adult depression scales based on adult diagnostic criteria. According to COSMIN criteria, three instruments - the BDI-2, MFQ, and PHQ - received an A rating, 12 a B rating, and one a C rating, based on the quality of evidence for their measurement properties. None of the instruments directly assessed developmental aetiological factors. Conclusion: While some high-quality psychometric instruments are available for identifying adolescent depressive symptoms, further development of psychometric instruments is needed to incorporate potential aetiological factors relevant to adolescent development in the context of depressive symptoms. Systematic review registration: CRD42020175950.