On the factor structure of the Beck Depression Inventory-II: G is the key.
The Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II; Beck, Steer, & Brown, 1996) is intended to measure severity of depression, and because items represent a broad range of depressive symptoms, some multidimensionality exists. In recent factor-analytic studies, there has been a debate about whether the BDI-II can be considered as one scale or whether subscales should be distinguished. In the present study, we applied a bifactor model to evaluate the extent to which scores reflect a single variable in a large sample of 1,530 clinical outpatients. We found that total scale score variation reflected some multidimensionality, but not enough to justify the scoring of subscales. We conclude that the BDI-II total scale score reflects a single construct and that reporting and interpreting subscale scores may result in misleading conclusions.
Department of Research and Quality Assurance, Netherlands Psychoanalytic Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. brouwer@npsai.nl
Danny
D
Brouwer
Rob R
RR
Meijer
Jolien
J
Zevalkink
D000328:Adult; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000592:standards*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index