scale for measuring depressive severity. The questionnaire is designed
for individuals aged 13 and over, and is composed of items relating to
symptoms of depression such as hopelessness and irritability,
cognitions such as guilt or feelings of being punished, as well as
physical symptoms such as fatigue, weight loss, and lack of interest
in sex.
In participants with concomitant physical illness the BDI's reliance
on physical symptoms such as (undifferentiated) fatigue or weight loss
related to viral illness may artificially inflate scores due to
symptoms of the illness, rather than of depression. In an effort to
deal with this concern Beck and his colleagues developed the "Beck
Depression Inventory for Primary Care" (BDI-PC), a short screening
scale consisting of seven items from the BDI-II considered to be
independent of physical function. Unlike the standard BDI, the BDI-PC
produces only a binary outcome of "not depressed" or "depressed" for
patients above a cutoff score of 4.
The incorrect use of the BDI-II may confound the ME and CFS literature
with false positives regarding depression in such patients. As well,
without pre-morbid information regarding possible depression it is
difficult to sort out Major Depressive Disorder from appropriate,
situational depression experienced by many patients with severe
diseases not just ME and CFS. A possible additional burden specific to
patients with ME and CFS is stigma added to the more common place
burdens of disease.
J Health Psychol. 2011 Nov 21. [Epub ahead of print]
Factor Analysis of the Beck Depression Inventory-ii With Patients With
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Brown M, Kaplan C, Jason L.
DePaul University, Chicago, USA.
Abstract
This study examined the properties of the Beck Depression Inventory-II
(BDI-II) in a sample of 111 patients with chronic fatigue syndrome
(CFS).
Exploratory factor analysis identified two factors. The mean score for
the Somatic-Affective factor was significantly higher than the
Cognitive factor.
Convergent and discriminant validity were assessed for BDI-II total
score, the two factor scores, and the BDI for Primary Care (BDI-PC).
The BDI-PC and Cognitive factor demonstrated superior validity.
Results suggest patients endorse BDI-II somatic items that overlap
with CFS symptoms at a high rate.
Factor scores should be evaluated separately, or the BDI-PC should be
utilized with this population.
PMID: 22104663 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
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