Brief Description
The Patient Health Questionnaire for Adolescents (PHQ-A) is a modified version of the PHQ-9 to be used with adolescents. The PHQ-A is used both as a screening measure for depression in adolescents and as a progress monitoring tool for depression treatment across a variety of treatment settings. Respondents rate how often they experience the depression symptoms listed (e.g., “little interest or pleasure in doing things”) on a scale from “Not at all” to “Nearly every day.”
Assessment Administration Type
Self-report
Number of questions
9
Age Range for Administration
11-17
Recommended Frequency of Administration
Every two weeks
Summary of Scoring and Interpretations
The PHQ-A contains 9 questions scored on a 4-point Likert scale with values from 0 (Not at all) to 3 (Nearly every day). A total score is calculated by summing the item responses and ranges from 0 to 27; higher scores are associated with higher levels of or more severe depression. See the table below for score interpretations.
Score | Interpretation |
0-4 | None to Minimal depression |
5-9 | Mild depression |
10-14 | Moderate depression |
15-19 | Moderately Severe depression |
20-27 | Severe depression |
Blueprint Adjustments
N/A
Clinical Considerations
Estimated completion time: 2-4 minutes
The only difference between the PHQ-A and PHQ-9 is the wording on question #7; instead of... "Trouble concentrating on things, such as reading the newspaper or watching television?", the PHQ-A says: "Trouble concentrating on things like school work, reading, or watching TV?"
Having another health condition like ADHD, learning problems, Conduct Disorder, or anxiety may increase a child/adolescent's risk for depression
See PHQ-9 here. There are also other abbreviated versions, including the PHQ-2 (first two items of PHQ-9) and PHQ-8 (removes Item 9, which asks about suicidal ideation).
Citation
Relevant Articles + Further Resources
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