Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)

The BDI is one of the most widely used screening instruments for measuring the severity of depression in adults and adolescents. The inventory is composed of items relating to depressive symptoms (hopelessness and irritability), cognitions (guilt or feelings of being punished), and physical symptoms (fatigue, weight loss, and lack of interest in sex)(Beck et al. 1961). It can be used, but is not limited to, persons with SCI.

Number of items: 21

Procedure/Administration: Patient reads the scale and marks those statements which have been true during the past week. Each item consists of 4 statements that range from a mild/neutral (mild=0) to severe (severe=3).

How scored: Items are summed such that the measure’s total score is between 0 – 63.

Interpretability: Higher scores reflect more symptoms of depression. For clinical populations, a cut score of 13 has been recommended for screening purposes.

Acceptability: N/a

Languages: English

Usability: N/a

Time to administer: At least 10 minutes, although completion time may vary due to the patients’ severity of symptoms.

Time to score:Unknown, but the burden is likely minimal.

Training required:  None.

Availability: N/a

Equipment required: None.

Summary:

  • The measure is completed and scored.
  • Several somatic symptoms included in the BDI are common in SCI and may be confused with symptoms of depression. Therefore, BDI score may be artificially inflated among SCI patients, resulting in higher levels of depression than is actually the case. 
  • Only one study has assessed the psychometric properties of the BDI among a SCI population.

Psychometric Summary

 

Reliability

Validity

Responsiveness

Results

Results

Results

Floor/ceiling

IC: Green light

SS: Yellow light

N/a

N/a

Note: TR= Test re-test; IC= Internal Consistency;Inter-O=Inter-observer; Intra-O=Intra-observer; SS=Sensitivity/Specificity; N/a= No information.

Red light= A single study involving SCI subjects which has less than adequate findings of reliability, validity, and/or responsiveness.

Yellow light= A single study involving subjects with SCI which has adequate to excellent findings of reliability, validity, and/or responsiveness.

Green light= At least 2 studies involving subjects with SCI which have adequate to excellent findings of reliability, validity, and/or responsiveness.

References

  • Beck AT, Ward CH, Mendelsohn M, Mock J, Erbaugh J. An inventory for measuring depression. Archives of General Psychiatry 1961; 4: 561-571.
  • Metcalfe M, Goldman E. Validation of an inventory for measuring depression 1965; 111: 240-242.
  • Radnitz CL, McGrath RE, Tirch DD, Willard J, Perez-Strumolo L, Festa J, Binks M, Broderick CP, Schlein IS, Walczak S, Lillian LB. Use of the Beck Depression Inventory in Veterans with Spinal Cord Injury. Rehabilitation Psychology 1997; 42(2): 93-101.
  • Salkind MR. Beck depression inventory in general practice J R Coll Gen Pract 1969; 18: 267-271.