Factorial invariance of the Spanish version of the PHQ-9 by gender and country in Latin America and the Caribbean.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Depression is one of the leading causes of global disease burden, particularly in regions with high inequality such as Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) is one of the most widely used instruments internationally for screening depressive symptoms, although its structural validity and diagnostic comparability in LAC still require further evidence.

Objective

To examine the factorial structure, invariance by sex and country, internal consistency, and concurrent validity of the PHQ-9 in a multinational sample of Latin American adults.

Method

Data from 12,124 participants across 15 LAC countries were analyzed, collected through an online form using snowball sampling. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and multigro

SUBMITTER: Caldichoury N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12673220 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature