To examine the factor structure of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) in a sample of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), testing all of the alternative models suggested by the previous evidence.
The CES-D was administered to a group of RA patients (n = 685) during a structured telephone interview. The telephone interview was repeated 6 months later (n = 537) and 12 months later (n = 453). Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to test alternative models.
The correlated 4-factor model and the second-order 4-factor model were the best fitting models.
The factor structure of the CES-D previously found in the general population was replicated in an RA sample. The results are consistent with previous evidence of criterion contamination in the CES-D when used in an RA sample and provide support for the view that a single summary score may not be the most informative index of the CES-D.