Interpretation Issues With the Patient Health Questionnaire Instructions

Do responses to the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) reflect symptom frequency or the degree to which symptoms are bothersome?In this survey study including 503 US general population and 349 clinical samples, most participants misinterpreted the PHQ instructions when judging a hypothetical scenario, when reporting how they responded to items, and how they would respond in the future. Approximately half of the general population (54.7%) and fewer than one-fifth of clinical participants (15.5%) interpreted the PHQ as intended.Results of this study suggest that the PHQ is widely misinterpreted, raising concerns about its validity for research and clinical decision-making.

Corresponding Author: Zachary D. Cohen, PhD, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721 (cohenzd@arizona.edu).

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