CONVERGENT VALIDITY AND TREATMENT RESPONSIVENESS OF THE PATIENT-RATED DEPRESSION CHECKLIST (PRDC)

Background

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a leading cause of disability globally. The Patient-Rated Depression Checklist (PRDC) was developed to capture depressive symptom frequency and patient-perceived functional impact.

Objective

To evaluate the baseline construct validity, convergent validity, longitudinal convergent responsiveness, and sensitivity to treatment-related impact change as assessed by the PRDC in patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD).

Methods

Data were obtained from a randomized, placebo-controlled trial of liafensine (1 or 2 mg/day) in adults with moderate-to-severe MDD meeting criteria for TRD. Baseline convergent validity was evaluated using cross-sectional Pearson correlations between PRDC scores and established clinician-rated measures of depressive severity and impression of global illness. Longitudinal convergent responsiveness was assessed using correlations between change from baseline in PRDC scores and corresponding changes in comparator measures. Responsiveness to treatment was further evaluated by estimating effect sizes for PRDC score changes over time and comparing them with those of commonly used clinicianrated instruments.

Results

At baseline, PRDC scores demonstrated moderate cross-sectional correlations with established measures of depressive severity, supporting convergent validity. Longitudinal analyses showed moderate-to-strong correlations between change from baseline in PRDC scores and change in established efficacy measures, indicating convergent responsiveness. PRDC scores also demonstrated sensitivity to both early and sustained treatment effects, with effect sizes comparable to those observed for commonly used clinician-rated instruments.

Conclusions

The PRDC demonstrates moderate convergent validity at baseline, moderateto-strong longitudinal convergent responsiveness, and robust sensitivity to clinically meaningful change, supporting its use as a patient-centered outcome measure in TRD clinical research and clinical practice