Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale
CES-DA 20-item self-report scale measuring frequency of depressive symptoms in the past week, designed for epidemiological research in the general population.
Ready-to-cite methods sentence
Reliability & validation
Subscales
Response anchors
Rarely or none of the time (<1 day) · Some or a little of the time (1-2 days) · Occasionally or a moderate amount (3-4 days) · Most or all of the time (5-7 days)
Known limitations
A screening tool, not diagnostic. The cutoff of 16 has high sensitivity but modest specificity, and somatic items may over-identify symptoms in older or medically ill respondents.
Original citation
Radloff, L. S. (1977). The CES-D Scale: A self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Applied Psychological Measurement, 1(3), 385-401.
https://doi.org/10.1177/014662167700100306Questions researchers ask
What does the CES-D measure?
A 20-item self-report scale measuring frequency of depressive symptoms in the past week, designed for epidemiological research in the general population.
How many items does the CES-D have?
The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) has 20 items across 4 subscales: Depressed affect, Positive affect, Somatic/retarded activity, Interpersonal.
Is the CES-D free to use?
The CES-D is in the public domain — free to use, reproduce and adapt without seeking permission. Cite the original source.
Is the CES-D reliable?
Validation studies report Cronbach's α of 0.85, test–retest reliability of 0.54. See the reliability section for the population studied and full statistics.
Who developed the CES-D, and how do I cite it?
Radloff, L. S. (1977). The CES-D Scale: A self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Applied Psychological Measurement, 1(3), 385-401. https://doi.org/10.1177/014662167700100306
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Library entry verified July 2026. Metadata is provided for reference; item wording is available inside Folio Surveyor, subject to each instrument's licensing.