Using the South African Depression Scale (SADS) to measure depressive symptoms in a UK sample

Background

The South African Depression Scale (SADS) was recently developed by Andersen and colleagues1 2 as a screening tool for depressive symptoms specific to Xhosa culture. This scale was designed to assess classical symptoms of depression which are also measured by other tools such as the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), including sleeping issues and anhedonia. Additionally, the SADS assesses more idiomatic expressions of depression, such as ‘having pain in my heart’ or ‘carrying a lot of weight on my shoulders’, which the PHQ-9 does not capture. The SADS has so far only been validated in South African cohorts of people living with HIV, but as this questionnaire was developed in both English and isiXhosa, it is possible to apply it to populations outside South Africa. Assessing the reliability of the SADS in other countries and cultures may further support the utility of this…