The review demonstrated that the WHO-5 has high clinimetric validity , can be used as an outcome measure balancing the wanted and unwanted effects of treatments , is a sensitive and specific screening tool for depression and its applicability across study fields is very high .
Conclusions : The WHO-5 is a short question naire consisting of 5 simple and non-invasive questions , which tap into the subjective well-being of the respondents .
The scale has adequate validity both as a screening tool for depression and as an outcome measure in clinical trials and has been applied successfully across a wide range of study fields
Background : The 5-item World Health Organization Well-Being Index ( WHO-5 ) is among the most widely used question naires assessing subjective psychological well-being .
Since its first publication in 1998 , the WHO-5 has been translated into more than 30 language s and has been used in research studies all over the world .
We now provide a systematic review of the literature on the WHO-5 .
Cerebrovascular disease and depression symptoms in the cardiovascular health study.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Evidence is mounting linking cerebrovascular disease with depressive symptoms in the elderly . Lesions in both white and gray matter have been associated with depressive symptoms and major depression . We sought to investigate the relationship between depressive symptoms and white and gray matter lesions in subjects participating in the Cardiovascular Health Study . METHODS In a sample of 3660 men and women who underwent a st and ardized interview , physical examination , and MRI scan  , we examined the association between number of white and gray matter lesions and white matter grade ( a measure of severity ) and reported depressive symptoms using a modified version of the Centers for Epidemiologic Studies Depression ( CES-D ) scale . We controlled for a variety of demographic and medical variables as well as functional status and Modified Mini-Mental State Examination score . RESULTS The number of small ( <3 mm ) basal ganglia lesions was significantly associated with reported depressive symptoms , but white matter grade was not . In subsequent logistic regression models , number of basal ganglia lesions remained a significant predictor after controlling for non-MRI variables and severity of white matter lesions . CONCLUSIONS Our findings extend previous reports that linked cerebrovascular changes to depressive symptoms in clinical population s to a large community-based population . This report provides further evidence of the importance of basal ganglia lesions in geriatric depression
The review demonstrated that the WHO-5 has high clinimetric validity , can be used as an outcome measure balancing the wanted and unwanted effects of treatments , is a sensitive and specific screening tool for depression and its applicability across study fields is very high .
Conclusions : The WHO-5 is a short question naire consisting of 5 simple and non-invasive questions , which tap into the subjective well-being of the respondents .
The scale has adequate validity both as a screening tool for depression and as an outcome measure in clinical trials and has been applied successfully across a wide range of study fields
Background : The 5-item World Health Organization Well-Being Index ( WHO-5 ) is among the most widely used question naires assessing subjective psychological well-being .
Since its first publication in 1998 , the WHO-5 has been translated into more than 30 language s and has been used in research studies all over the world .
We now provide a systematic review of the literature on the WHO-5 .