Validation of the Beck Depression Inventory II in HIV-positive Patients

Objective: Research on depression among HIV-positive patients has been limited by the lack of a valid and reliable measure of depression. This project addresses this problem by exploring the internal consistency reliability and the concurrent and discriminant validity of the Beck Depression Inventory-II using HIV-positive patients in Jamaica. Method: Patients from three HIV clinics in Jamaica (n = 191 patients; 61% female, 39% male, mean age 40.5 +/- 10 years) were administered the BDI-II along with the Centre for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale.(CES-D) and the Social Provisions Scale. Results: Overall, the BDI-II was found to have a high degree of reliability (alpha = 0.89). The scale also had good concurrent validity as evidenced by a high correlation with scores on the CES-D (r = 0.74) and acceptable discriminant validity as demonstrated through a moderate correlation with the Social Provisions Scale (r = -0.42). This pattern of scores suggests that the majority of the variance underlying the BDI-II assesses depression (55%) while a smaller degree of the variability (18%) measures a conceptually similar but distinct concept. Conclusion: The BDI-II is a sufficiently reliable and valid measure for assessing depression in HIV-positive patients.