title: Validity of the Beck Depression Inventory in the postpartum period.
abstract: Objective. While there is a recommendation to screen for postpartum depression (PPD), there are worries about the validity of instruments other than the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale; little is known about the construct validity of one of the most used screening instruments, the Beck Depression Inventory, in this period. Methods. This study evaluated the validity and reliability of the BDI in a population-based sample of women and their spouses (n=772) in the postpartum. Additionally, we compared factor scores within the couple. Results. Exploratory factor analysis demonstrated a two-factor solution (depressive symptoms and somatic symptoms), accounting for 44.01% of the total variance. Internal consistency was good (Cronbach's α=0.90). Women had higher scores than their partners in both factors (P<0.001), but not a higher proportion of the total score attributable to somatic symptoms. Conclusion. With little factor variance between women and men, and a similar proportion of somatic symptoms, these results should be taken to reinforce the validity of the BDI in the postpartum.
authors.affiliation: Master's Programme in Health and Behaviour, Catholic University of Pelotas, Brazil.
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vieira Da Silva Magalhães
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tavares Pinheiro
authors.forename: Bernardo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lessa Horta
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Amaral Tavares Pinheiro
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Azevedo Da Silva
keywords: Beck Depression Inventory; Postpartum depression; factor analysis; somatic symptoms; validity