title: A cross-cultural analysis of the Brief Symptom Inventory-18.
abstract: The Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18: Derogatis, 2000) is an abbreviated version of the nine dimension, 53-item BSI (Derogatis, 1993) which is a shortened form of the 90-item Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R: Derogatis, 1994). Criticism focused on factor structure (cf. Boulet & Boss, 1991; Ruipérez, Ibáñez, Lorente, Moro, & Ortet, 2001) and the two older versions' poor discriminant validity suggest the scales' usefulness is limited to global scores only. Using principal component analysis, the authors explore the three-dimension factor structure of the BSI - 18 with the understudied population of Central American immigrants to the U.S. (N = 100). Results suggest one underlying factor best used in aggregate as a general screening for overall levels of psychological distress. Cultural differences are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education, College of Education and Human Services, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Carbondale, IL 62901-4618, USA. kasner@siu.edu
authors.forename: Kimberly K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Asner-Self
authors.forename: James B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Schreiber
authors.forename: Sylvia A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Marotta
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012938:Social Perception; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires