Factor structure of the CES-D in a sample of Spanish- and English-speaking smokers on the Internet

Abstract

Research on the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale's (CES-D; Radloff, 1977) factor structure is mixed across diverse and international populations that differ from the one on which the scale was developed. This study examined the CES-D's factor structure in a large international sample of English (n=3827) and Spanish-speaking (n=13,629) smokers. A two-factor solution grouped into Positive and Negative factors emerged for the full English sample; the same two-factor solution emerged in the depressed English subsample identified with a separate screening instrument. A three-factor solution (Anxious/Somatic, Positive, and Negative) emerged for the full Spanish sample. Unlike the depressed English subsample, a different pattern of three factors (Negative, Positive, and Interpersonal Sensitivity) emerged in the depressed Spanish subsample. The findings in both languages differed from the original "four-factor" solution identified by Radloff (1977); they also suggest that the factor structure varies depending on language and depression status in international samples. The meaning of instruments and depressive symptoms may therefore vary across cultural and linguistic contexts.