A meta-analysis of the factor structure of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS)—— the effects of language.Image.Marked.pdf

International Psychogeriatrics : page 1 of 11 C International Psychogeriatric Association 2012 doi:10.1017/S1041610212001421 A meta-analysis of the factor structure of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS): the effects of language Giyeon Kim,1,2 Jamie DeCoster,3 Chao-Hui Huang2 and Ami N. Bryant2 1 Center for Mental Health and Aging, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA 2Department of Psychology, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA 3 Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA ABSTRACT Background: Given the lack of consensus on the factor structure of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), as well as the fact that the GDS factor structure appears to vary across diverse cultural and/or language groups, the present meta-analysis examined whether the factor structure of the GDS varies by language. Methods: A total of 26 published studies using exploratory factor analysis (14,669 participants; 10 languages) were included in the meta-analysis. The factor structure of the GDS was assessed in the overall sample as well as in each language that had been examined in at least two different studies. Results: The analysis of the full sample resulted in a four-factor structure, whereas analyses of the individual languages produced structures with 4 to 6 factors. The mean variable cosines between languages ranged from 0.612 to 0.839, suggesting that the different languages produced distinct factor structures. The t