Propiedades psicométricas del Inventario de Depresión de Beck-II (BDI-II) en población universitaria colombiana

Introduction

The Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) is one of the most frequently used instruments in clinical and research practice for depression symptoms. However, its psychometric properties in the Colombian population are unknown. The objective of this study was to find evidence of these properties in university students, who have a high prevalence of depression.

Method

An instrumental study was carried out to evaluate the reliability, and to know the evidence of validity of the internal structure and the relationship with other variables of the BDI-II in a sample of 409 students of a private university in Bogotá.

Results

Regarding reliability, a Cronbach's alpha = 0.91 was obtained. As evidence of validity, item-test correlations were found that ranged from 0.31 to 0.67, all of them statistically significant (P< 0.0001) and a good fit of a bifactorial model (RMSEA = 0.040; SRMR = 0.046; CFI = 0.984; TLI = 0.981) and of a second-order model to the data. (RMSEA = 0.045; SRMR = 0.045; CFI = 0.978; TLI = 0.975). In relation to other variables, a direct and statistically significant correlation was found with risk factors (=0.65) and inverse with the protective factors (=–0.519) of the Positive and Negative Suicide Ideation Inventory (PANSI).

Conclusions

This evidence indicates that the BDI-II scores obtained enable depression symptoms to be inferred in this population and its clinical and research use is recommended. However, more confirmatory studies are needed in populations with greater variability.