Validation of the Beck Depression Inventory II among the Sinhalese speaking population in Sri Lanka

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Depression is an important public health issue in Sri Lanka, yet it is often missed or misdiagnosed, hence the development of valid and reliable diagnostic instruments for depression is of importance. AIMS: To examine psychometric properties of the Sinhalese version of the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II), and to determine the cut off score for the diagnosis of depression. Method: The linguistic equivalence of the scale was verified by a back-translation method. The final translation was administered to 956 randomly selected adults from the Ragama and Ja-Ela MOH areas. RESULTS: The mean age of the study population was 31.3 years with a majority being female (56.2%). Participants were invited to complete the Sinhalese version of the BDI II. The participants were also independently assessed for depression. Of the participants, one hundred and eight (11.2%) were depressed. The scale showed a high level of internal consistency (Cronbach’s á 0.93). Exploratory factor analysis showed a twofactor structure (cognitive-affective and somatic), which was similar to the original model by Whisman et al. Criterion validity was satisfactory. Based on the receiver operating characteristics curve a cut-off score of 16 was determined to be the most appropriate cut off value for the detection of depression in this population group. CONCLUSION: The Sinhalese version of the BDI-II is a psychometrically robust tool that can be used to assess for depression in Sri Lanka.