The Beck Depression Inventory:: Psychometric characteristics and usefulness in nonclinical adolescents

Epidemiological utility and characteristics of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were examined in a sample of 304 nonclinical adolescents. Psychopathological diagnoses according ICD-10 criteria were assessed by the Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry. The female BDI scores were significantly higher than the male scores. The depressed adolescent scores were significantly higher than for nondepressed adolescents. Different scores as discriminators of depression subtypes were reported. The BDI pessimism item was the most important predictor of the total BDI score. Gender differences were found in depressive symptomatology. According to the rates of sensitivity and specificity, the best cutoff scores found were 16 and 10 for major depression and dysthymia, respectively. In conclusion, the BDI proved to be a reliable and valid instrument that could be used as a depression screening in nonclinical adolescents.