title: The clinical utility of the Beck Depression Inventory after traumatic brain injury.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the psychometric properties of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) in traumatic brain injury (TBI) and to determine the relative endorsement of somatic-performance and cognitive-affective items in this group.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective 2 year follow up assessment.
  
  
  METHODS
  117 patients discharged from an inpatient TBI rehabilitation service completed the BDI as part of a 24 month follow up assessment. Demographic and injury related data were obtained from patient files and significant others.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A principal components analysis revealed three factors describing affective and performance items, negative attitudes towards oneself and somatic disturbance. The reliability estimate was high (coefficient alpha = 0.92). A dependent sample t-test revealed higher endorsement of the cognitive-affective subscale with more clients classified as at least moderately depressed using the cognitive-affective rather than the total BDI score.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study provides preliminary evidence suggesting that the BDI may be an effective screening tool for self reported depression in TBI.
authors.affiliation: Brain Injury Rehabilitation Service, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia. alisag@biru.wsahs.nsw.gov.au
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Felmingham
authors.forename: I J
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Baguley
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Slewa-Younan
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Simpson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000523:psychology*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index