CES-DC

Description & Scoring

The Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale for Children (CES-DC) is a 20-item self-report scale that measures the severity of depression symptoms over the past week. The scale can be used by individuals between the ages of 6 to 17. All items inquire about the frequency of symptoms, which are rated on a 4-point Likert scale. It can be used as a screening tool for depression in children and adolescents and is demonstrated to be a reliable measure to monitor depressive symptoms. Higher CES-DC scores indicate increasing levels of depression: 0-14 Mild or no depression symptoms; 15 - 60 Significant depression symptoms.

Rows	Not At All	A Little	Some	A Lot
I was bothered by things that usually don’t bother me.
I did not feel like eating; my appetite was poor.
I felt that I could not shake off the blues even with help from my family or friends.
I felt that I was just as good as other people.
I had trouble keeping my mind on what I was doing.
I felt depressed.
I felt that everything I did was an effort.
I felt hopeful about the future.
I thought my life had been a failure.
I felt fearful.
My sleep was restless.
I was happy.
I talked less than usual.
I felt lonely.
People were unfriendly.
I enjoyed life.
I had crying spells.
I felt sad.
I felt that people dislike me.
I could not get "going".

Center of Epidemiological Studies - Depression Scale for Children

Description & Scoring