Maggie K Only Psychology Homework Assignment
Running head: EVALUATION OF TECHNICAL QUALITY BDI-II 0
Evaluation of Technical Quality BDI-II
Mark Einsel
Capella University
Evaluation of Technical Quality BDI-II
Introduction
The standardized test selected in Unit 2 was the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II). BDI-II is one of the most widely used psychometric tests for evaluating the severity of depression. It consists of a 21-question multiple-choice self-report inventory. The development of BDI marked a shift in the field of mental health where depression had previously been viewed from a psychodynamic perspective. BDI presented depression as an outcome of individual patient’s thoughts. The 21 items in the test relate to the symptoms of depression such as interests, irritability, and hopelessness. Candidates taking the test must be over the age of 13, this allows their responses to be credible, and hence the use of the test. Each item has a score of between 0 and 3. Higher scores indicate severe depressive symptoms. The standardized cutoffs in the test are;
0–13: minimal depression
14–19: mild depression
20–28: moderate depression
29–63: severe depression (Steer, Rissmiller, & Beck, 2000).
The test accounts for most symptoms associated with depression. Therefore, although it is possible to score 0 in some elements, the accumulation of other may lead to a depression diagnosis. This test is widely used as it offers a lot of information about the patient even where a diagnosis is not passed. This is because of the questions that patients must respond to. For instance, patient answer questions about suicide thoughts, feeling like a failure, and level of irritability. The BDI-II also retains the advantage in its ease of administration (5-10 minutes) and the rather straightforward interpretive guidelines presented in the manual. For these reasons, it is a very popular test among psychologists.
Concurrent validity evidence is solid with the BDI-II demonstrating a moderately high correlation with the Hamilton Psychiatric Rating Scale for Depression-Revised (r = .71) in psychiatric outpatients. The BDI-II is presented as a user-friendly self-report measure of depression severity (Steer, Rissmiller, & Beck, 2000).
Article Summaries
Prevention of Long-Term Sickness Absence and Major Depression in High-Risk Employees: A Randomized Controlled Trial
The objectives of the study were to examine the efficacy of early intervention on the prevention of long-term sickness absence and major depression among employees at high risk of future sickness absence and with mild to severe depressive complaints. A randomized controlled trial conducted among high-risk employees. 139 employees were identified both at high risk of future sickness absence and with mild to severe depressive complaints through screening. They were randomly assigned to the intervention group (n=69) or the control group (n=70) (Lexis, 2011). Sickness absence was assessed at 12 and 18 months of follow-up. Depressive complaints were analyzed using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) at baseline, and at 6 and 12 months of follow-up. Intention-to-treat analyses showed a significant difference in total sickness absence duration between the interventions over 12 months of follow-up, a reduction of 46%. The intervention group showed a non-significantly lower proportion of long-term sickness absence spells compared with the control group. Statistically significant and clinically relevant differences in depressive complaints were found after both 6 months and 12 months of follow-up, in favor of the intervention group (Lexis, 2011).
Psychometric Meta-Analysis of the English Version of the Beck Anxiety Inventory
This meta-analysis reviewed 192 scholarly works from 1993 to 2013 using the Beck Anxiety Inventory (Beck & Steer). Aggregated internal consistency (coefficient alpha) was .91 (k = 117), and test-retest reliability was .65 (k = 18) (Bardhoshi, 2016). Convergent comparisons were robust across 33 different anxiety instruments and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (Beck, Steer, & Brown). Structural validity primarily supported the original 2-factor solution proposed by Beck and Steer, and diagnostic accuracy varied according to the sample size and criterion cutoff score (Bardhoshi, 2016).
Activities of Daily Living, Depression, and Social Support among Elderly Turkish People
The study examined the impact of activities of daily living and perceived social support on the level of depression among elderly Turkish people. Participants were 102 adults older than the age of 60 years. The study assumed that (a) lower levels of activities of daily living would predict a higher level of depression, (b) a higher level of perceived social support would predict a lower level of depression, and (c) perceived social support would moderate the relation between activities of daily living and depression (Bozo, 2009). Although hierarchical multiple regression analysis did not yield a significant effect for an activities of daily living-perceived social support interaction, activities of daily living and perceived social support significantly predicted depression among elderly people. Thus, perceived social support did not moderate the relation between activities of daily living and depression among elderly people; however, higher activities of daily living functioning and higher perceived social support predicted lower depression. The non-significant effect of an ADL-perceived social support interaction on the level of depression among elderly people was incongruent with the stress-buffering model (Bozo, 2009). The authors discuss the strengths, limitations, and possible implications of the findings.
Combining Evidence-based Practices for Improved Behavioral Outcomes: A Demonstration Project
Thomas Blakely (2013) describes a demonstration project conducted by a team at a mental health agency caring for adults with a serious psychiatric condition. The project consisted of combining the evidence-based practices of cognitive therapy, Motivational Interviewing and Stages of Change with Social Role Theory and the Chronic Care Model that were the organizing concepts of the agency’s assessment and treatment program. Measures of the results of clients’ improved mental health and social functioning indicated the successful use of this combination (Blakely, 2013).
Facilitated physical activity as a treatment for depressed adults: randomized controlled trial
The research question was ‘Does facilitated physical activity provide an effective treatment for adults with depression presenting in primary care?’ the study established that although trial participants receiving the physical activity intervention in addition to usual care reported increased physical activity compared with those receiving usual care alone, there was no evidence to suggest that the intervention brought about any improvement in depressive symptoms or reduction in antidepressant use (Chalder, 2012). In the study, new information was added on to already known findings. Many studies have shown the positive effects of physical activity, but most of the current evidence originates from small non-clinical samples using interventions that are not usable in clinical setting. Our results indicate that offering patients a facilitated physical activity intervention is not an effective strategy for reducing symptoms of depression, although it enhanced self-reported physical activity and sustained this effect over a period of one year (Chalder, 2012).
Diagnostic Efficiency of BDI in a Clinical Setting: Comparison among Depression, Anxiety, Psychosis and Control group
The Beck Depression Inventory total mean score and the mean scores of the three factors (Negative Attitude, Somatic Element, and Performance Difficulty) are considerably different among the Depression, Psychosis, Anxiety, and control group. Especially, the Beck Depression Inventory total mean score on the Depression group is significantly higher than other two clinical groups and the control group (Kim, 2010). Within the Beck Depression Inventory three factors, Negative Attitude is the most important predictor in distinguishing the Depression group from both the Anxiety and Psychosis group and Negative Attitude and Somatic Element are the most important predictors in distinguishing the Depression group from the control group.
Self-esteem and self-disgust both mediate the relationship between dysfunctional cognitions and depressive symptoms
Many researches have indicated that self-disgust mediates the relationship between dysfunctional cognitions and depression. However, as self-disgust is only a partial factor, other variables are also likely to influence this relationship. Self-esteem is one such variable. It has consistently been linked to depression in the literature. This study aims to examine how self-disgust and self-esteem mediate the association between dysfunctional cognitions and depression (Simpson, 2010). Measures of self-disgust, self-esteem, dysfunctional cognitions and depression were completed by a non-clinical sample of 120 participants. In the study, self-disgust and self-esteem were found to be distinct constructs and both constructs were found to be partial mediators of the relationship between dysfunctional cognitions and depression: a finding which generalized across two measures of depression.
Conclusion
From the literature, it was found that higher activities of daily living functioning and higher perceived social support predicted lower levels of depression. Although not viable in clinical settings offering patients a facilitated physical activity enhanced self-reported physical activity and sustained this effect over a period of one year.
References
Bardhoshi, G. (2016). Psychometric Meta-Analysis of the English Version of the Beck Anxiety
Inventory. Journal of Counseling and Development, 94(3), 356-373.
Blakely, T. J. (2013). Combining Evidence-based Practices for Improved Behavioral Outcomes:
A Demonstration Project. Community Mental Health Journal, 49(4), 396-400.
Bozo, Ö. (2009). Activities of Daily Living, Depression, and Social Support among Elderly
Turkish People. The Journal of Psychology, 143(2), 193-205.
Chalder, M. (2012). Facilitated physical activity as a treatment for depressed adults: randomized
controlled trial. British Medical Journal, 344(7860), 14.
Kim, H. (2010). Diagnostic Efficiency of BDI in a Clinical Setting: Comparison among
Depression, Anxiety, Psychosis and Control group. International Journal of Innovation, Management and Technology, 1(5), 502.
Lexis, M. A. (2011). Prevention of long-term sickness absence and major depression in high-risk
employees: a randomized controlled trial. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 68(6), 400-407.
Simpson, J. (2010). Self-esteem and self-disgust both mediate the relationship between
dysfunctional cognitions and depressive symptoms. Motivation and Emotion, 34(4), 399-406.
Steer, R. A., Rissmiller, D. J.& Beck, A.T., (2000). Use of the Beck Depression Inventory with
depressed geriatric patients. Behavior Research and Therapy, 38(3), 311-318.
