Exponential distribution of total depressive symptom scores in relation to exponential latent trait and item threshold distributions: a simulation study.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Total depressive symptom scores in the general population have been reported to follow an exponential distribution except at the lowest end of the range of scores. To verify the hypothesis that total depressive symptom scores follow the distribution of the latent trait, we performed a simulation study of depressive symptom scoring modeled after the Revised Clinical Interview Schedule (CIS-R). To simulate the scoring of ordinal scale items in CIS-R, two sets of random numbers were generated, one expressing the degree of the latent trait of depressive symptoms and another expressing the threshold for each item. Random latent trait numbers greater than those of item thresholds indicated the presence of specific symptoms.

Results

When exponential distribution was set

SUBMITTER: Tomitaka S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5701434 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature