Psychometric properties of the reassurance-seeking scale in a Turkish sample

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Reassurance-Seeking Scale in a sample of 102 Turkish undergraduate students. High internal consistency reliability was found for the Reassurance-Seeking Scale (alpha=.86). Factor analysis of the scale identified a single component that accounted for 71% of the total variance. The scale was significantly positively correlated with the Beck Depression Inventory and Beck Anxiety Inventory and had a significantly negative correlation with the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale. Partial correlations of Reassurance-seeking with Depression scores as controlled by Anxiety scores and with Anxiety scores as controlled by Depression scores indicated that Reassurance-seeking scores maintained association with Depression but not with Anxiety. All these findings were in line with expectations.     

Evidence for the construct validities of the Beck Youth Inventories with child psychiatric outpatients

To provide further information about the construct validities of the Beck Youth Inventories of Emotional and Social Impairment, these inventories were administered to 35 female and 65 male outpatients whose ages ranged from 7 to 12 years and who were diagnosed with various psychiatric disorders. The Children's Depression Inventory was also administered, and the children were rated by a parent with the Conners' Parent Rating Scale-Revised: Short Form. The scores on the former inventory were more positively correlated with the scores on the Beck Youth Depression Inventory (r =.81, p<.001) than with scores on the four other Beck Youth Inventories, and those on the Conners Oppositional scale were comparably correlated with the scores on the Beck Youth Disruptive Behavior (r=.49, p<.001) and Anger (r=.41, p<.001) Inventories. These latter correlations were higher than those for scores on the Oppositional scale with the scores on the three other Beck scales.     

Psychometric properties of the Beck Depression Inventory for Youth in a sample of girls

A new measure has been developed to assess depressive symptoms, the Beck Depression Inventory for Youth (BDI-Y; J. S. Beck, A. T. Beck, & J. B. Jolly, 2001). This research extends previous validation research of BDI-Y total scores by examining internal consistency and convergent and predictive validity within a school-based sample (n=859) of girls 9-13 years old by age level and for selected races or ethnic groups. Scores had high internal consistency, and there was support for using the BDI-Y to assess depressive symptoms. Reliability was slightly lower for 9-year-olds, but reliability and validity estimates did not differ by race or ethnic group. Finally, confirmatory factor analysis results provide some support for unidimensionality of scores but also point toward possible refinements.     

External locus of control in children of alcoholics.

The relationship of type of home of origin [alcoholic parent(s) versus nonalcoholic parent(s)] to locus of control was assessed. Perceived level of parental alcohol abuse (MAST score) did not predict 121 students' locus of control. However, external orientation was significantly and positively correlated with having a parent who drank heavily and scores on the Beck Depression Inventory and significantly and negatively correlated with the Rosenberg Self-esteem Inventory and the Possible Self Questionnaire.     

Measuring How We Preach What We Practice: Psychoeducational Change in Depressed Inpatients

This study investigated the relationship between acquisition of psychoeducational principles and symptomatic improvement in depressed in-patients. One hundred and twenty-three inpatients hospitalized on a Cognitive Therapy Unit were administered the Test of Cognitive Behavioral Principles (TCBP) and the Beck Depression Inventory at admission and discharge. It was predicted that the TCBP scores would be higher at discharge than at pre-testing at admission. Further, it was hypothesized that the higher TCBP scores at post-test would be significantly correlated with lower Beck Depression Inventory scores at post-test. The results revealed that inpatients' TCBP scores improved over the course of treatment supporting the first hypothesis. However, the data did not support the second hypothesis as there was not a significant relationship between the TCBP scores and the BDI scores at discharge. The results are discussed in terms of clinical, theoretical, and methodological implications.     

Induction of depressive affect after prolonged exposure to a mildly depressed individual

Scores on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were periodically obtained from the roommates of college students who exhibited a persistent mild depression over a 3-month period. For comparative purposes, BDI scores were also obtained from roommates of individuals who were transiently depressed and from subjects with nondepressed roommates. In comparison with control subjects, the roommates of persistently depressed persons displayed a progressive increase in BDI score over the course of the study.     

Family Environment of Detoxified Opiate Addicts in Iran and its Relationship with Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression

The objective of this study was to explore the family environment of recently detoxified opioid addicts in Iran and relationship between perceived family environment and symptoms of anxiety or depression. Thirty opioid dependent men, aged 18–60, who had recently completed opioid detoxification were recruited. The questionnaire of demographic information and substance use history, the Family Environment Scale (FES), the second version of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) were completed by all participants. Six family typologies were identified/BDI scores were statistically significantly and inversely correlated with the Cohesion and positively correlated. with the Conflict subscales of the FES. BAI scored were not statistically significantly correlated with and FES subscale measures. Treatment implications are discussed.     

Romantic acts and depression

The aim of the present study was to provide an examination of the relationship between the importance individuals attach to romantic acts and depressive symptoms. Among 140 male and 160 female English undergraduate students, the importance individuals attach to romantic acts is significantly negatively correlated with higher scores on the Beck Depression Inventory and the Depression symptoms subscale of the General Health Questionnaire among the men only.     

Sex Differences in the Relationship of Anger and Depression: An Empirical Study

A comparison of mean scores on the Beck Depression Inventory and State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory scales revealed that women scored significantly higher than men on depression, whereas there were no significant differences on any of the 6 anger scales. Separate multiple regression analyses revealed that there were statistically significant relationships between the linear combination of anger scales and depression for both groups. A comparison of zero-order correlations of depression with the anger scales revealed that Anger-In correlated significantly more highly with depression among women than men. Finally Anger-In correlated significantly with 4 of the 5 other anger scales for women, but only with one for men.     

Negative schemas and depression in normal college student volunteers

The present research explored the intrinsic relationship of self-reported depressive symptoms and cognitive distortions as proposed by Beck and others. A devised scale of cognitive distortions was correlated with scores on the Beck Depression Inventory for 67 college volunteers. A significant value of 0.59 was found, supporting our hypothesis. There were no sex differences on either scale.     

Oral Pessimism and Depressive Symptoms

I examined the relation of oral optimistic and oral pessimistic personality traits to depressive symptoms to assess the psychoanalytic claim that fixation at the early phase of the oral stage of psychosexual development is related to depression. College students (N = 140) were administered the Oral Optimism Questionnaire (OOQ; Kline, 1978) and Oral Pessimism Questionnaire (OPQ; Kline, 1978) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI; Beck, Ward, Mendelsohn, Mock, & Erbaugh, 1961). Oral pessimism and levels of depressive symptoms were positively correlated, and a subsample of subjects with clinical levels of depressive symptoms also scored significantly higher on the Oral Pessimism Questionnaire than the rest of the sample. For the whole sample, 10 BDI items correlated significantly with the OPQ scores, and 5 OPQ items correlated significantly with the total BDI scores. The psychoanalytic claim relating fixation at the oral pessimism stage to depressive symptoms was supported.     

Self-report measures of defeat and entrapment during a brief depressive mood induction

Recent studies have reported that depression is strongly associated with perceptions of defeat and entrapment, and have proposed that such perceptions are central features of depression. This study used experimental mood induction procedures to investigate the putative causal relationship between perceptions of defeat/entrapment and depressed mood. Two groups of female undergraduate volunteers (n = 16) completed visual analogue mood scales, as well as Defeat and Entrapment scales, before and after either a negative or a positive musical mood induction procedure (MIP). Scores on the Defeat and Entrapment Scales were significantly correlated with scores on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The negative MIP caused a worsening of mood and significantly increased perceptions of defeat and entrapment, particularly internal entrapment. The positive MIP caused a small but significant improvement in mood, and significantly decreased defeat scores. Individuals with elevated BDI or internal entrapment scores prior to the negative MIP showed the greatest increases in internal entrapment after the negative mood induction. The results demonstrate that induction of a depressed mood increases perceptions of defeat and entrapment, and suggest that, in the case of internal entrapment, this effect increases with the initial level of depression or entrapment.     

Understanding the relationship between attachment style, pain appraisal and illness behavior in women

Insecure attachment has been hypothesized to be an important factor for understanding the experience of pain. Considering the Attachment-Diathesis Model of Chronic Pain developed by Meredith, Ownsworth, and Strong (2008), this cross-sectional study examines the relationship between attachment style, pain appraisal, and illness behavior. Two hundred healthy women recruited from community contexts completed a battery of self-report measures including the Short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire, Pain Catastrophizing Scale, Pain Anxiety Symptoms Scale-20, Pain Vigilance and Awareness Questionnaire, Illness Attitude Scales, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, and the Experiences in Close Relationships Questionnaire-Revised. The results showed that attachment anxiety was significantly correlated with pain catastrophizing, pain-related fear, depression, and illness behavior. However, attachment anxiety and avoidance were not associated with pain intensity. Attachment anxiety moderated the relationship between pain catastrophizing and illness behavior, and between pain hypervigilance and illness behavior. Pain catastrophizing and pain-related fear partially mediated the effect of attachment anxiety on illness behavior. The findings highlight potential contributions of attachment style and pain appraisal for explaining illness behavior. This study supports earlier reports and suggests the usefulness of assessing attachment style for early identification of people who might exhibit a high risk of dysfunctional responses to pain. Our findings also suggest that increasing people's insight about their attachment style and modifying some associated dysfunctional responses may be important in the treatment of chronic pain.     

Sex differences in problems related to depression

The study investigated possible sex differences in the types of problems that are correlated with Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scores, using a sample of college students. Problems related to assertiveness and feeling ill at ease were positively correlated with BDI scores for males, but not for females. In contrast, conflicts with parents, feelings of being boxed in and of boredom, lack of money, and chronic physical complaints were positively related to BDI scores for females, but not for males.     

Specific and diversive curiosity and depression in junior high school students of divorced and nondivorced parents.

124 junior high school students (Grades 5 to 8) from a small school district in north central Kansas completed the Beck Depression Scale, the Maze test, and the Which-to-Discuss test. Background information, such as age, sex, grade, and marital status of parents, were also collected. There were no significant differences between boys and girls of divorced and nondivorced parents or across grades for scores on the Which-to-Discuss (specific curiosity) and depression, but boys scored significantly higher on the Maze test (diversive curiosity). No differences were noted between the students of divorced and nondivorced parents or across grades. Scores on Which-to-Discuss test and Maze test were not significantly correlated, but scores on one Maze test and depression correlated positively and significantly. When these students scored as more depressed, although in the normal range, they tended to score higher on diversive curiosity.     

Catastrophizing,Depression and Anxiety During Pregnancy: Relation Between Lumbopelvic Pain and Physical/Social Functioning

Catastrophizing, a cognitive behavioral aspect of pain, is defined as an excessively negative orientation against a noxious stimulus. The primary goal of the present study is to assess the association between catastrophizing and lumbopelvic pain intensity during the pregnancy period, the secondary goal is to explore the variation of pain catastrophizing, anxiety and depression, and the tertiary goal is to investigate the relationship between catastrophizing and quality of life. After approval, pregnant women with lumbopelvic pain were invited to join in the study. During admission, participants were asked to complete questionnaires including Pain Catastrophizing Scale, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory-II, and Short Form-36. Age, gravida, parity, number of abortus, number of live-births and the pain intensity score were recorded. A total of 429 women were enrolled in the study. Pain catastrophizing scores showed a fluctuation during pregnancy, and were significantly correlated with the scores of Beck Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, Visual Analog Scale, and Short Form-36 sub-scales including social functioning, vitality, physical functioning and mental health. The present study demonstrated that catastrophizing level shows an alteration throughout the pregnancy period, and variation in catastrophizing shows an approximately similar course with pain intensity, depression and anxiety.     

Psychoaffective immaturity in psychiatric disorders

This study investigated the prevalence of psychoaffective immaturity and tested the hypothesis that it associated with bad prognosis. For 135 psychiatric patients meeting criteria for personality, neurotic, affective, substance use, or psychotic disorders emotional immaturity was rated using the 1985 diagnostic criteria of Doutheau, Dubertret, Moutin, and Barrois. 58 subjects (42.96%, 95% Confidence Interval: 34.61-51.31) were classified as immature. Scores of the Nonimmature and Immature groups were compared for the Beck Depression Inventory and the Professional and Social Functioning Assessment Scale. Scores were, respectively, significantly higher and lower in those patients classified as Immature than those who were classified Nonimmature. When depression was controlled by a covariance analysis, the mean difference on the Professional and Social Functioning Assessment Scale remained significant. It appears that psychoaffective immaturity is a factor associated with severity of psychiatric disorders.     

Stress, coping techniques, and depressed affect: explorations within a normal sample.

The study investigated relations between perceived stress, coping techniques, and scores on the Beck Depression Inventory for a sample of 84 undergraduates. Using Beck Depression scores as the dependent variable, analyses of variance showed significant effects for stress and three of seven coping techniques assessed: escape, dysfunctional behavior, and use of the professional health care system. Interactions of stress x dysfunctional behavior and stress x narcotizing anxiety were also noted. Some additional analyses indicated that coping techniques emphasizing ego protective attitudes (e.g., remaining hopeful, not getting down on oneself) were negatively related to Beck Depression scores.     

Smoking related to anxiety and depression in Greek medical staff

We assessed the relation of anxiety and depression to smoking behavior in a sample of 80 physicians and surgeons, using the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Scale and the Beck Depression Inventory. 27 doctors were nonsmokers, 14 were former smokers, and 39 were current smokers. Current smokers showed significantly higher Anxiety and Depression scores compared to nonsmokers and former smokers, while the latter presented significantly lower Anxiety scores than nonsmokers. In current smokers, the daily quota of cigarettes was not correlated with Anxiety or Depression scores. From our results we can hypothesize that, among medical staff, smoking behavior is more anxiety-related than depression-related. In conclusion, we believe that interventions such as stress management techniques could be effective in lessening Anxiety and diminishing the need for relief searched for in smoking.     

Development and Validation of the Xhosa Translations of the Beck Inventories: 3. Concurrent and Convergent Validity

This article provides data on the validity of the Xhosa versions of the Beck Depression Inventory-II (XBDI-II), the Beck Hopelessness Scale (XBHS) and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (XBAI) based on a sample of 122 Xhosa respondents which included students and patients. For patients, clinicians completed rating scales of Depression and Anxiety symptoms. In tests of concurrent validity, depressed patients had significantly higher scores on the XBDI-II and XBHS than students or patients who were not depressed. Similarly anxious patients had higher scores on the XBAI than students and patients who were not anxious. Correlations with clinicians' ratings were:.91 for XBDI-II scores and depression ratings, and.88 for XBAI scores and anxiety ratings. Correlations between the three translated scales were similar to those for the original scales. These analyses provide evidence that the translated scales have levels of concurrent and convergent validity comparable to the originals.