Concurrent Validity and Psychometric Properties of the Beck Depression Inventory in Outpatient Adolescents

Abstract

The concurrent validity of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was evaluated in 122 outpatient adolescents referred to a clinic for depression. Criterion validators were Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (K-SADS) generated diagnoses and a 17-item clinician-rated depression scale extracted from the K-SADS. Initial BDI scores of > 13 yielded sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive powers of 86%, 82%, and 83%, respectively, in differentiating syndromal major depressive disorder (MDD) from nonaffective disordered patients. In repeated interviews in 2 weeks with a BDI score of > 13, these parameters were 89%, 88%, and 93%, respectively, in those meeting MDD criteria. The BDI correlated significantly with the 17-item depression score in depressed females but not depressed males because BDI scores were more than 30% higher in females. BDI internal consistency among all cases was 0.91 and was higher in depressed than nondepressed patients. J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry, 1991, 30, 1:51–57. © 1991, The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. All rights reserved.