OBJECTIVES: There is increasing clinical and research interest in monitoring functional outcomes, including occupational functioning, in people with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Self-rated scales are most practical for clinical settings, but there are few work functioning scales that have been validated in depressed populations. We now report further psychometric studies of the Lam Employment Absence and Productivity Scale (LEAPS), a brief 10-item self-report questionnaire. METHODS: Patients meeting DSM-IV criteria for MDD completed the LEAPS during initial assessment and following various treatment protocols in specialist outpatient and family practice settings, and other scales including the self-rated Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) and Health and Work Performance Questionnaire (HPQ), and the clinician-rated Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) scale. Standard statistical analyses for scale validation were conducted. RESULTS: In a sample of 418 patients at baseline assessment, internal consistency was high, with Cronbach’s alpha of 0.93 (for the LEAPS total score) and 0.89 (for the productivity subscale). Convergent validity was supported by significant correlations of the LEAPS total score and productivity subscale with the SDS work/role item score (r=0.49, 0.43, respectively, both p<0.0001) and the HPQ Overall Performance score (r=-0.42, -0.53, respectively, both p<0.0001). In a sample of 104 patients repeating the LEAPS within a 1 week period, excellent test-retest correlations were found (r=0.95, p<0.0001). In a sample of 176 patients assessed before and after 8 weeks of antidepressant treatment, the LEAPS showed good responsivity to change, with differences in means between CGI-I categories of Very Much Improved (LEAPS total score change =10.7±5.5; productivity subscale change=3.9±2.5), Much Improved (total=8.3±4.5; subscale=3.0±2.3) and Minimally Improved/No Change/Worse (total=4.5±5.7; subscale=1.4±2.9); differences were significant for both LEAPS total score change (ANOVA, F=7.29, df=2,83, p=0.001) and for productivity subscale change (F=4.07, df=2,83, p=0.021). CONCLUSIONS: These data support the LEAPS as a valid, reliable and responsive instrument in patients with MDD.