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Development and preliminary validation of a short form of the Beck Depression Inventory for Youth (BDI-Y) in a sample of adolescent cancer survivors

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Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this study was to analyze adolescent cancer survivors’ responses to the Beck Depression Inventory for Youth (BDI-Y) to determine if a short form of the measure could be developed that would accurately identify survivors with clinically significant levels of depressive symptoms.

Methods

Two hundred two adolescent survivors (mean age = 15.39 years, SD = 1.93) completed the BDI-Y at a single time point and were divided into two groups: a derivation sample (n = 105) and a replication sample (n = 97). Based on correlations with the total BDI-Y score in the derivation sample, items were selected for inclusion in three potential short forms, with 6, 8, and 11 items, respectively. These short forms were then evaluated against the full BDI-Y scale first in the derivation sample and subsequently in the replication sample (n = 97).

Results

Each of the three short forms had high correlations with the total BDI-Y scale (r > 0.95), good internal consistency (α > 0.80), and good overall discrimination compared to a standard BDI-Y cutoff score (AUC > 0.90). The eight-item short form demonstrated notable consistency across the derivation and replication samples, with high sensitivity and specificity using a cutoff score of ≥5, making it a promising tool for clinical screening.

Conclusions

Abbreviated versions of the BDI-Y can accurately detect depression in adolescent cancer survivors.

Implications for cancer survivors

An eight-item short form demonstrates strong psychometric properties and potential for use as a screening measure in this population, while the 6- and 11-item short forms may be suited to other applications.

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Conflict of interest

Jaime E. Blackmon, Cori Liptak, and Christopher J. Recklitis declare that they have no conflict of interest. All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000 (5). Informed consent was obtained from all patients for being included in the study. No animal studies were carried out by the authors of this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Perini Family Survivors’ Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Ave, Boston, MA, 02215, USA

    Jaime E. Blackmon & Christopher J. Recklitis

  2. Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA

    Cori Liptak & Christopher J. Recklitis

  3. Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA, 02215, USA

    Cori Liptak

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  1. Jaime E. Blackmon
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Correspondence to Christopher J. Recklitis.

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Blackmon, J.E., Liptak, C. & Recklitis, C.J. Development and preliminary validation of a short form of the Beck Depression Inventory for Youth (BDI-Y) in a sample of adolescent cancer survivors. J Cancer Surviv 9, 107–114 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11764-014-0394-y

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