extended · article · 2017

Assessment of depression in veterans across missions: a validity study using Rasch measurement models

Karen‐Inge Karstoft; Anni Brit Sternhagen Nielsen; Tine Nielsen; Ivor W. Molenaar

Background: Depression is a common psychopathological outcome following military deployment. Previous studies have reported differing rates of post-deployment depression, indicating that the toll of war differs across missions. However, it is unclear to what degree the varying prevalence is due methodological differences. Studies comparing rates of depression across cohorts using the same methodology and ensuring measurement invariance are rare, leaving us with limited knowledge on the actual depression prevalence variance across missions.Objective: Applying Rasch models (RM), we aim to validate a measure of depression distributed to all personnel deployed with the Danish Defense since 1998. The main focus was establishing a sufficient sum score and measurement invariance relative to deployment cohort.Method: Two cohorts of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) deployed to A...