The Psychometric Properties of the Ukrainian Version of Beck Depression Inventory-I Determined With a Student Sample

Abstract

The article presents the study on psychometric properties of the Ukrainian version of Beck Depression Inventory-I examined with the sample of Ukrainian students (N = 234). The importance of such study for Ukrainian psychologists is discussed. Because of the peculiarities of Ukrainian grammar and the results of preliminary pilot research, we developed separate versions of the Ukrainian BDI-I for women (Form A) and men (Form B), which was a novelty of our study. According to the pilot research results, four questionnaire items turned out to be sensitive to gender differences in addressing emotional issues: Sadness, Pessimism, Crying, and Loss of Interest in Sex. Experts were engaged to evaluate the final version (both forms) of translated inventory. Item-total correlations ranged from 0,40 to 0,69 for female Form A and from 0,32 to 0,82 for male Form B. Reliability (internal consistency), concurrent validity, discriminatory power were examined; the fit of the two factor model of depression to the sample data was evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis; construct validity was substantiated. The obtained results were discussed in the context of similar world-wide studies. The study mirrored findings of previous investigations on psychometric properties of the BDI and stated that the translated inventory had an excellent internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0,91), significant correlations with related variables (0,74 for DASS-21-Depression Scale, 0,67 for DASS-21-Anxiety Scale, 0,64 for DASS-21-Stress Scale), proper discriminatory power (Ferguson’s δ = 0,98) for the Ukrainian student sample. Mean scores for Ukrainian students were compared with those in other studies with non-clinical samples. The limitations and prospects of the study are discussed.