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LAO DEPRESSION INVENTORY (INDOCHINESE REFUGEES, NEBRASKA, UNITED STATES)
Abstract
The overall purpose of this project was to develop a depression inventory that is culturally appropriate for the cross-cultural norms of Laotian refugees. Ethnic Lao refugees 16 years of age or older resettling in the United States between 1979 and 1982 and who, at the time of the interview lived in Nebraska, were included in the study. A Clinical Interview form was devised to establish clinical depression and nondepression for each subject. The Lao Depression Inventory (LDI) was developed to independently identify depression among Ethnic Lao refugees. The questions for the LDI consisted of a compilation of culturally appropriate questions which were based on inventories commonly used in psychiatric facilities throughout the United States. To date, there are no known valid measurement scales to evaluate depression among the Ethnic Lao people. Consequently, there was a need for an inventory that could assist with the diagnosis of depression specific to Lao refugees. Refugees from both urban and rural environments were interviewed and completed the inventory. The study consisted of 216 Ethnic Lao refugees geographically located between Omaha, Nebraska and Grand Island, Nebraska. An experimental design was used to test the three hypotheses: (1) The Clinical Interview will differentiate between depressed and nondepressed Ethnic Lao people; (2) The Lao Depression Inventory (LDI) will identify items that discriminate depressed from nondepressed Ethnic Lao; and (3) The Lao Depression Inventory will be associated significantly with the clinical assessment of depression, and the significant association will be maintained when cross-validation procedures are applied. Results of the validation and cross-validation procedures showed progressive improvement in the hit-rate results. Clear evidence was provided of the ability of the Lao Depression Inventory (LDI) to discriminate between depressed and nondepressed Ethnic Lao people.
Subject Area
Educational evaluation
Recommended Citation
DAVIDSON-MUSKIN, MARY-BETH, "LAO DEPRESSION INVENTORY (INDOCHINESE REFUGEES, NEBRASKA, UNITED STATES)" (1986). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI8629528.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI8629528