What is the BDI?
The Beck’s Depression Inventory is a widely used and very well-known self-report instrument used to quantify a person’s depression when they present in a clinical setting. In my clinical work as a therapist, I screen every patient with this inventory. The tool is short, easy to administer, and only requires a 6th grade reading level.
Evaluating the BDI
In this discussion, you will use what you learned in Chapter 5 and resources from the internet to evaluate the BDI. When you first start researching the test, I expect that you will be slightly overwhelmed by the language used in the reviews of the test. It’s almost like…learning another language! My hope is that the more you encounter words like “discriminate validity” or “test-retest reliability” the easier it will be to remember what it means the next time you see it.
After reading Chapter 5 and reviewing the materials in the module, please answer the following:
1. Generally describe the BDI in 5-6 sentences. Please include who created the inventory and provide a brief summary of the differences between the BDI-I & BDI-II.
2. How many items are on the BDI-II? Approximately how long does it take to complete? What do the scores indicate to the provider and the patient? Be specific.
3. What does concurrent validity mean? Does the BDI-II have high concurrent validity with any other depression inventory? If so, which ones?
4. What is a reliability coefficient? How is it written?
5. What is test-retest reliability? What is the one-week, test-retest reliability for the BDI-II? In your own words, what does this mean?
6. What was the experience like of researching and evaluating a psychometric screening tool for depression? Did you think it was interesting to look at the properties of the BDI? Why or why not?
Peer Replies
Reply to 2 of your peers after posting your initial response. Please comment on how they clarified or confirmed your evaluation of the BDI. You may also offer suggestions on how they might better explain concepts, or add additional insight to what they shared. Please also mention if you found a discrepancy between your response and their response.
Additional Guidance
Do not copy and paste words from any source – instead, read the material and then summarize what you read.
You have two weeks to work on this discussion, in order to give you plenty of time to search for the answers.
You will only see your peers’ replies once you post your answer. Please do not post a “placeholder” response in order to get access to your peers’ posts.
Please do not worry about finding the “correct” answers, just show me that you did your best.
