THE CHILDREN'S DEPRESSION INVENTORY AS A RELIABLE MEASURE FOR POST-IRAQI INVASION KUWAITI YOUTH

Abstract

This study examined the reliability of the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI, in Arabic form Kovacs, 1980) among elementary, middle, and high school students in Kuwait. The subjects (N= 2,299, ages 9–17) were selected from six districts across Kuwait. Children completed the CDI as a depression measurement tool with respect to gender and age. The overall alpha reliability coefficient for the CDI is 0.85. Girls attained higher and statistically more significant mean scores than did their male counterparts. The results indicate that the CDI shows reliability and internal consistency for use in Kuwait as a measure of childhood depression.