Background:

The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) is widely used to screen depression in older adults, yet culturally adapted brief forms require validation.

Objective:

This study aimed to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Persian Five-Item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-5) to ensure its suitability for accurate and efficient depression screening among Iranian older adults.

Methods:

This cross-sectional study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Persian Five-Item GDS (GDS-5) in 200 Iranian older adults. Structural validity was examined using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA). Concurrent validity, test–retest reliability, and diagnostic accuracy were assessed using standard correlation and ROC analyses.

Results:

EFA supported a coherent one-factor structure. The GDS-5 showed strong concurrent validity with the CES-D (r = .71, p < .001) and excellent test–retest reliability (ICC = 0.809, p < .001). ROC analysis demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy (AUC = 0.924). At the optimal cutoff, sensitivity was 0.98 and specificity was 0.77.

Conclusion:

Overall, the present study demonstrates that the Persian version of the GDS-5 is a valid, reliable, and diagnostically accurate screening instrument for depressive symptoms among Iranian older adults. Future research should focus on validating the instrument in diverse settings (e.g., primary care clinics, long-term care facilities) and utilizing a wider sample with diverse sociodemographic characteristics to improve generalizability.