Assessment of the random version of the Beck Depression Inventory II

Abstract

The present study compared a random version of the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-IIR, based on the work of Dahl Strom, Brooks, & Peterson, 1990) with the standard version in a sample of 139 university students. The study also assessed various psychometric properties of the Random version, including test-retest reliability, internal consistency, discriminant validity, and concurrent validity using the standard BDI-II, the Zung Self-Rating Scale (SRS) , and the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D) over a two week period. In addition, the effects of prior exposure to a depression inventory were examined. The BDI-II and its random counterpart did not evidence significantly different total scores, and both were found to have adequate and similar test-retest reliability, internal consistency and validity. Test-retest reliability was .86 for the BDI-II and .75 for the BDI-IIR. Internal consistency was found to be .87 and .85 for the BDI-II and BDI-IIR respectively. Both versions of the BDI-II were found to possess adequate validity with the CES-D and SRS. However, both scales also correlated very highly with the Edwards Social Desirability Scale. Lastly, pre-exposure to depression measures did not result in decreased scores at a later administration.