Validation of the Beck Depression Inventory-II in a low-income African American sample of medical outpatients

Psychol Assess. 2005 Mar;17(1):110-4. doi: 10.1037/1040-3590.17.1.110.

Abstract

The psychometric properties of the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) are well established with primarily Caucasian samples. However, little is known about its reliability and validity with minority groups. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the BDI-II in a sample of low-income African American medical outpatients (N=220). Reliability was demonstrated with high internal consistency (.90) and good item-total intercorrelations. Criterion-related validity was demonstrated. A confirmatory factor analysis supported a hierarchical factor structure in which the BDI-II reflected 2 first-order factors (Cognitive and Somatic) that in turn reflected a second-order factor (Depression). These results are consistent with previous findings and thus support the use of the BDI-II in assessing depressive symptoms for African American patients in a medical setting.

Publication types

  • Validation Study

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Black or African American / psychology*
  • Demography
  • Depressive Disorder, Major / diagnosis*
  • Depressive Disorder, Major / ethnology*
  • Factor Analysis, Statistical
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Psychological Tests*
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Socioeconomic Factors
  • Surveys and Questionnaires