Authors

Abstract

Background: because of a dramatic rise in mental disorders among all age groups such as elderly, paying attention to the elderly mental health and identifying their mental disorders such as depression and dementia is really essential. Thus, there is a need to valid screening measures for common conditions in aged population. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic validity of the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) in the elderly.
Materials and Methods: in the first, Persian version of BDI-II was prepared using Forward-Backward method. After this, the BDI-II and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) were administered to 233 subjects over the age of 60 selected by stratified random sampling in Qom City, Iran. The BDI and GHQ-28 were examined at about a two-month interval. Twenty-four elder were withdrawn during the retest of BDI-II, so that the retest conducts to 209 subjects. Finally, data was analyzed via SPSS-18.
Results: 12.9% of study population had major depression; %24/9 and% 45/1 of were rated as middle a mild depression, respectively. The BDI showed significant positive internal consistency (Alpha=0.92) and test–retest reliability (r=0.64), Intra-class Correlation Coefficient (ICC=0.81), convergent validity with GHQ-28(n-209) was significantly positive(r=0.80)
Conclusion this study indicated that the Iranian version of the BDI-II is valid, reliable and appropriate instrument for screening depression in elderly.

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