Effects of interview context on a self-report scale of depressive symptoms

In a study of the recovery of women who had undergone a mastectomy, the respondents’ mean score on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) was three points lower (indicating less depression) than the mean score of a sample of women from the general population interviewed as a comparison group. The social and demographic characteristics of the two groups were similar, as were the women’s responses to other attitudinal questions. In addition, patterns of association between variables were similar in both populations. The authors concluded that the answers of the mastectomy patients were influenced by the context of the CES-D—i.e., the point at which it was administered during the interview.