Sequential screening for depression in humanitarian emergencies: a validation study of the Patient Health Questionnaire among Syrian refugees

Table 3 Effects of different base rates on MDD classification accuracy

Screening method	Representative prevalence^a (%)	PPV (%)	NPV (%)
PHQ-2	5	9	99
	35	49	89
	81	88	52
PHQ-2/8 sequential screening	5	100	99
	35	100	94
	81	100	68

PHQ-2 2-item Patient Health Questionnaire, PPV positive-predictive value, NPV negative-predictive value
^aBaseline prevalence representative of (a) 5%, the level of depression worldwide [38]; (b) 35%, the prevalence reported in a metanalysis of depression among refugees [39], and (c) 81%, the highest reported depression prevalence among refugees [40]

ISSN: 1744-859X