Figueiredo-Duarte C, et al. - In order to validate the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), researchers evaluated 493 institutionalized older people (73% women) aged 60 or over through the GDS, the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (depression vs no depression = 11% vs 89%), the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI), the Positive Affect (PA) and Negative Affect (NA) Schedule, and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). They assessed test-retest reliability with 57 older adults. An 8-item version yielded a Cronbach's alpha value of 0.87 with a single factor explaining its variance. The correlations attested the concurrent validity (GAI: r = 0.76; PA: r = -0.22; AN: r = 0.62; SWLS: r = -0.32). Adequate test-retest reliability (6.51 months) was noted (r = 0.52). Results thereby support that a short version of GDS is valid and is an effective screening tool in institutional contexts. Short screening instruments for depressive symptoms may aid in their recognization, supporting timely clinical interventions in institutional settings.